3160 - Budget Procedures and Line Item Transfers
Policy 3160
Business/Non-Instructional Operations
Budget Procedures and Line Item Transfers
In accordance with Connecticut General Statutes §10-222, the Newtown Board of Education shall prepare an itemized estimate of its budget each year for submission to the Board of Finance and the Legislative Council for review and appropriation. Such budget estimate shall include, but is not limited to, the following major object line item categories:
100 - Salaries
200 - Employee Benefits
300 - Purchased Professional Services
400 - Purchased Property Services
500 - Other Purchased Services
600 - Supplies
700 - Property
800 - Other
Following the annual appropriation, the Board of Education shall meet and revise such itemized estimate, if necessary, and adopt a final appropriated budget for the year. Line items in the budget may be allocated more specifically by the Superintendent or his/her designee in the development, administration and monitoring of the budget after the initial approval of the budget by the Board of Education. The Superintendent shall present for Board approval any proposed additional staff that exceeds the staffing summary approved concurrent with the fiscal year budget. Hiring of additional staff that would be legally mandated will be brought to the Board for approval at the next scheduled Board meeting if all attempts for the Board of Education to meet prior to the hiring are unsuccessful.
The Superintendent and/or his/her designee shall be responsible for administering and monitoring the budget through the course of the year. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall maintain a system of appropriate expenditures and encumbrance accounting that is organized to conform to the requirements for State and Federal accounting reports. A monthly budget report shall be prepared in the same format as the annual object detail budget (as a minimum), showing for each major object code line item, the appropriated budget amount, transfers, expenditure to date, encumbered amounts, and current balance.
Such budget report shall be presented to the Board of Education at the regularly scheduled meeting in the month following the period for which such report is prepared, except the year-end report which shall be completed and presented by the end of August. The year-end report shall reflect all major object codes in positive balance. The Superintendent or designee shall recommend to the Board of Education and the Board shall approve transfers from one major object code to another.
For effective and efficient administration of day-to-day operations, budget transfer authority is granted to the Superintendent or the Director of Business, as his/her designee, under the following restrictions:
Transfers between major object codes less than $10,000 may be made without prior Board of Education approval, but will be referenced in the monthly financial report. Notice of major object codes falling into a negative balance will also be included in the monthly financial report.
No transfers within major object codes, whether individual or cumulative, of $10,000 or more shall be made unless authorized by the Board.
If the emergency transfer of $50,000 or less is needed and the Board is unable to meet in advance, the Board will take action at its next regularly scheduled meeting. In addition, all transfers within an object summary category under $10,000 will also be approved at the next meeting.
The Board of Education shall not expend more than the amount of the total appropriation and the amount of money received from other sources for school purposes. If any occasion arises whereby additional funds are needed by the Board of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education shall notify the Board of Finance, Board of Selectman, or appropriating authority and submit a request for such necessary additional funds. No additional funds shall be expended until such supplemental appropriation is granted and no supplemental expenditures shall be made in excess of those so authorized.
Adding Funds to the Non-Lapsing Educational Account
1. Each year, prior to the last regular Board of Education meeting in August, the Newtown Public Schools Director of Business will recommend to the Board an amount to transfer into
2. The Board shall consider the recommendation and notify the Legislative council and the Board of Finance of its transfer request as set forth in Board Policy 3171.1 – Non-Lapsing Education Fund. The transfer request will include each account number and the amount to be transferred. The Board’s transfer request may also include a potential use for the funds.
Removing Funds from the Non-Lapsing Educational Account
The Board may vote to authorize a request for expenditures from the Non-Lapsing Education Fund and forward the request to the fiscal authority as set forth in Board Policy 3171.1 – Non-Lapsing Education Fund.
Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
10-222 Appropriations and budget. (as amended by PA 13-60, An Act Concerning the Consolidation of Non-Educational
Services) Charter, Town of Newtown, 2008, P. 28
Policy adopted: April 4, 2017
Revised: June 16, 2020
July 6, 2021
November 16, 2021
December 19, 2023
NEWTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Newtown, Connecticut