School District Advisory Budget Committee Formed
A new Advisory Budget Committee was approved and charged by the Oyster River Cooperative School District (ORCSD) School Board on September 8, 2010. The purpose of this committee is “to become educated about the ORCSD budget and provide budget recommendations to the School Board that meet the needs of the students and is fiscally responsible to taxpayers.” On October 21st the School Board voted on the membership of the Advisory Budget Committee (ABC), choosing eight people from the 15 volunteers who applied. Serving on this committee are Robert McEwan-Madbury: Jay Hilyard-Lee; Bill Bryon-Lee; Anne Knight-Durham; Jenna Roberts-Durham; David Proulx-Durham; David Taylor-Durham and Tom Merrick-Durham.
ABC held an organizational meeting on October 26 selecting Tom Merrick as Chair, Jenna Roberts as Vice-Chair, and Anne Knight as Secretary. Committee members have begun attending budget deliberation workshop meetings of the District and will attend School Board meetings that involve budget discussion.
Meeting minutes and any published recommendations are placed on the ORCSD website (www.orcsd.org) under School Board/Subcommittees/Advisory Budget Committee (http://www.orcsd.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=103&Itemid=203) soon after they are approved. All ABC meetings are open to the public. The committee's next meeting is scheduled November 16, 7 PM in Oyster River High School, Room C120.
Public meetings (usually 7 PM at ORHS) that will include school budget discussion:
11/16—Advisory Budget Committee Meeting
11/17—School Board Mtg with budget discussion about middle and high schools
11/29—Advisory Budget Committee Meeting
12/1—School Board Mtg with budget discussion about elementary schools
12/6—School Board Mtg with budget discussion about SPED, Technology, Prof Devel, District
12/8—School Board workshop with budget discussion about Facilities, Transportation, Food Serv
12/15—School Board Mtg with budget discussion
1/5—School Board Mtg with budget discussion
1/12— Public Hearing on School Budget
I look at the agenda and ask the BAC to insert budgetary discussion on topics related to: additional music/band/string programming at the ORHS, early foreign language education at MOH/MS, and differentiated instruction for children who demonstrate advanced proficiencies. How can these items fit into the level funded budget? Can they?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
So sad that the school board wouldn't appoint someone in the Education field - a teacher, perhaps - to the committee. Isn't the board in the business of educating our children? Sounds like they are more interested in cutting their property taxes than ensuring a quality education.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, our property taxes are outrageous and I think it would be great to do an analysis of staff to student ratio within our surrounding school districts. I have no doubt that the results would suggest that our system is over-staffed. Also, I have noticed that our half time director of curriculum and instruction/half time special education director, is never able to expand on topics when speaking publicly at school board meetings. She evades tough questions and smiles. She has a habit of saying, "I can't answer those questions." Well, tell us who can and how much are we paying her to not answer our questions?
ReplyDeletePerhaps we will get lucky and Meredith Nadeau will leave with Colter.
ReplyDelete