District forming community Budget “Think Tank”
Posted: August 12, 2010
Committee to begin tackling fiscal challenges this fall
A committee of parents, community members, and a cross-section of district employees will get to work this fall developing some short- and long-term solutions to the ongoing fiscal challenges that BC is grappling with just like most districts across the state.
The community budget “think tank” approach is designed to generate some fresh ideas and review some major budget areas and topics at a much earlier stage in the year than usual.
The committee, convened at the request of the Board of Education, will begin meeting on Monday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. at the district offices, 90 Adams Place. Its meetings will be work sessions open to the public.
Superintendent Michael Tebbano sent a letter to parent, community, faculty and staff groups earlier this week seeking representatives for the “BC Budget Think Tank.”
“Many experts predict that the impact of the fiscal crisis and the general economic downturn for school districts will continue for years to come,” Dr. Tebbano wrote. “It's time to start asking - and answering - some broader questions as a community: ‘How can we guarantee a high-quality education to all students, given dwindling resources and so much uncertainty? Can we pursue some structural changes that allow us to emerge from this period stronger and more efficient, with the greatest amount of student opportunities intact?’”
Although the committee will largely set its own agenda for the work, some of the discussion items will likely be derived from topics of interest at the community budget forums of recent years. These have broadly centered around transportation and facilities issues and efficiency; balancing class sizes and enrollment; and the appropriate level of extracurricular and athletic offerings.
“One of the things that have frustrated people is that when we get to the budget forums, it’s too late to make major changes in many areas for the coming year,” Dr. Tebbano said. “So, we have listened to that concern, and we will be looking into these broader issues at an early stage. It may be that some structural changes will help save some programs.”
The Budget Think Tank will meet monthly through the fall and into the winter, when its ideas will be a focus at the two scheduled community budget forums. The Think Tank will make recommendations to the Board of Education for consideration during its 2010-11 budget development process.
Budget Think Tank meeting summaries and materials will be posted on the district’s website following each of its meetings.
The announcement of the group comes as the district is still awaiting details of the recently passed state budget. The Board of Education has had to make about $2 million in budget cuts in each of the last two budget savings to close a budget hole caused in large part by a significant slowdown in state funding.
With no increase in state aid seen on the horizon and costs continuing to grow, the district will likely again enter the early stages of budget planning for next year with a sizeable gap to close.
“If the financial crisis has taught us anything, it’s that ‘business as usual’ no longer exists,” Dr. Tebbano said. “Our responsibility is to raise these issues and have some potentially hard conversations to make sure that we can sustain a high quality program through some difficult times. Doing nothing is not really an option.”