Public Invited to Review Proposed School Budget
Residents can ask questions after a presentation on the proposed 2013-14 spending plan is given.
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The second of two public presentations on the 2013-14 school district budget will be held at Wayne Valley High School Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m.
Attendees will have the chance to ask Superintendent Ray Gonzalez and the Board of Education questions after a presentation on the budget is made.
The school portion of the average homeowner’s tax bill could increase $205 if the budget is approved as currently constructed. The tax levy, the portion of the budget that is funded by local taxes, is about $132.2 million.
If everything remains as is, including programs and services, the district is looking at a $2.4 million budget shortfall.
The Board of Education approved a tenative budget last month. The district will receive approximately $3.8 million in state aid this year, the same amount it received last year.
Officials are still working on the budget. The Board of Education will approve the budget at a special public meeting March 27.
About 25 people attended the first public meeting at Wayne Hills High School a few weeks ago.
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Flood Plain
11:33 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
It is time for the "public" to stop asking questions and DEMAND that the BOE become responsive to the taxpayers. The BOE must start by SLASHING the entire budget. This slashing needs to remove entire programs that have crept into higher and higher costs, with little to no documented positive cost/benefit value.
For every BOE program, the taxpayers need to demand that there be measurable objectives with appropriate evaluative tools to reduce those programs with questionable value. Taxpayers also need to DEMAND that budgets' administrative costs be reduced in both absolute and relative amounts.
WayneEducatorMS
12:35 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
Sounds like a reasonable, well-thought out idea from Flood Plain. He/she seems to have researched the issues and presented a viable solution including both regular words and some in ALL CAPS.
Good grief.
Pad
9:15 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
Spender Gonzalez is spending more & more money. Money saved from the solar panels and the proposed school bus ads is being spent to institute new programs and hire staff. This money should be earmarked for tax payer relief. Everything is done behind the taxpayers back. If this wasn't true there would be no need for a sound proof room that was installed at Nellis Drive. The taxpayers should hold the BOE accountable and call for an audit of all funds and spending. Other towns get by with $0 increase why not Wayne? The BOE is out of control and is destroying Wayne with its never ending need for more & more money. There is alot that goes on behind closed doors at Nellis Drive and its not good. The PR frm was hired mainly for damage control purposes when things get out. Cmon, a PR firm? Another waste of our money. How many more friends besides Berrios has he hired or given contract to? Its your money taxpayers and believe me he is spending every dollar of it.
I don't think so
3:25 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Pad you really crack me up. I agree that the PR firm needs to be done away with and i'm sure that there is plenty of other ares they can cut, But the sound proof room? Really? If you believe that then OPRA every construction contract and find out where it was paid for. If you can find it then that solves that issue once and for all.
You do have a good idea Flood Plain. Which programs should we start asking about? You gave a general idea but nothing specific. If you have the specifics pass them along then we should all get on it.
Flood Plain
11:25 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
reply to I don't think so:
For a start........
All programs in all schools, and the BOE, (academic, extra-curricula, and administrative areas) need to have a well thought out and published set of goals that follow the system-wide mission statement of the BOE--assuming the BOE even has prepared an appropriate and updated mission statement!
From those goals, each program should have measurable objectives with appropriate assessment tools that evaluate the degree to which the objectives are being met. And, every program should have a plan to use the results of the assessment tools to initiate needed program modifications and elimination of entire programs where identified by the assessment results.
Some of the modifications should undoubtedly include the elimination of the programs are that not cost/effective. The entire administrative structure of the system should be re-evaluated for value, need, and cost. Undoubtedly, there are multiple redundancies in the entire BOE and its schools. Those redundant, and/or unneeded positions and costs need to be immediately eliminated.