Budget and Fiscal Responsibility
New Haven is a well-run district. Here's what Deepti sees in its books, and what she'll be watching as a trustee.
Figures from the district's 2025/26 First Interim report
About $170 million of Measure N goes to James Logan and Area 5 passed the bond with 67.4% support.
Measure N — $272 million
Bond money
Builds and repairs schools
By law it cannot pay salaries or programs
Overseen by a Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee, with independent annual audits
The operating budget — about $188 million a year
Pays for people and programs — about 86 cents of every dollar is salaries and benefits
Funded mostly by the state, and state funding follows enrollment
These are separate pockets. Good stewardship means knowing the difference and never robbing one to patch the other.
3% Reserve, fully held
The state-required reserve is intact, and the county's projection keeps it in place through 2027/28. That's what a positive certification means.
$16.2 Million
The district is budgeted to spend about that much more than it takes in this year, covered from savings. Not a crisis; a trend worth watching early.
$26.2 Million to special education
Up $3.2 million in a single year. An obligation we meet. The question is never whether to fund it, only how to fund it sustainably.
Deepti's Commitments
Ask the hard budget questions early and in public, before the reserve gets thin.
Protect the classroom and the 3% reserve.
Publish Measure N spending on a project-by-project public dashboard.
SOURCES: NHUSD First Interim report, NHUSD multi-year projection, NHUSD Bond Oversight Committee reports, and independent audits.