The Finance & Claims Committee on Nov. 13 approved a pair of linked actions authorizing a $3,000,000 appropriation and allocation from a municipal grant-in-aid fund (FY ending 06/30/2026) to the Norwalk Public Schools.

CFO Jared Schmidt said the city received a roughly $10,000,000 state grant; specific DPW accounts eligible under the grant (roads, transit, fleet maintenance, snow-and-ice chemicals) can be paid from the grant, which frees $3,000,000 in operating-budget dollars to be reallocated to the Board of Education. The mechanism, Schmidt said, was vetted with the Office of Policy and Management and the city auditor.

Committee members pressed for clarity on constraints: Anne Winestrand asked whether the $3 million would have to be used for specified infrastructure or could be applied at the BOE’s discretion; Schmidt said there was an agreement to restore certain programs (music, paraprofessionals) but acknowledged that once funds are appropriated to the BOE, money is fungible and the BOE controls final spending within agreed commitments. Members also raised the possibility that final reconciliations could show carryover; Schmidt said reconciliations would reveal any unused funds and future budgets would reflect adjustments.

The committee voted unanimously to move the allocation forward.