By a vote of 7-2, the BOE tonight passed a $59,115,622 Budget, an increase of 6.41% over last year. If my math is correct, this amount alone -- that is to say, without the Town-side Budget -- would result in more than a 4.5% tax increase.
Bill Wellman and Julie Turk were the two nay votes; there was not one cut from the Superintendent's proposed budget with the exception of a reduction in the amount of money to be paid to the magnet school because more was budgeted than is necessary.
Bill Wellman said that although the Superintendent had presented her Budget to the Board with an explanation that it should take into account the means of the taxpayers to pay, he heard a lot of "testimony" about school needs but nothing about the means of the taxpayers. He added, "All I've heard is a statement from Ray Jankowski at last Monday's Town Council Meeting, the Town's Director of Finance, that we ought to be in survival mode."
It was a difficult night to witness. Now the Budget goes to the Mayor.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
31 comments:
Did you get a 6.41% in salary last year?
I did NOT!
Time to vote NO!
Hey Jay. At least you showed up (and were in the front row with waht looked like a dye job:) unlike the majority of the crybabies who log on to your site who didn't care enough to make an appearance. I noticed Jay, that unlike myself, you were alone. Does your wife care? Do your kids, if you have any, go to this school system?
Redistrict: We have capacity, and lots of it. Why not use it?
Merge: Town and School Maintenance. The town operates a much tighter ship. Why not let them.
Obsolete positions: 56 secretaries! Stop replacing them. While I agree that they do not make that much I will bet that they are all on the family insurance plan. In the days of “Triplicate” these people had a role, they have been displaced. Please, for the sake of the children let it go
For the sake of the children? Are you joking? This has nothing to do with the children.
This is about padding the nest. We have no choice as parents and you no it. Those involved that invoke “it is for the children” are talking about their children and not your’s. I know Mr. and Mrs. Pitser. They are upstanding people who contribute their time to our community. Jon coaches my son at basketball and I have been servered By Mrs. Pitser at the snack bar at Nestle Field. The bashing they get on this web site is underserved.
Asking for common sense reform of our school system is not deserving of such rhetoric.
couldn't get to the BOE pep rally
wouldn't have swayed my convictions
Not one cut? NOTHING?! Why did they even have meetings? To listen to all the "wants" (not "needs") and then question nothing?
Did Mr Wellman even get the requested answers to his reasonable question of "Where was the SURPLUS 2 Million dollars spent?" If he did I wish you would post the answers because I know there are a LOT of VOTERS and TAXPAYERS that would like an accounting.
So the PLOY is to make the Mayor and TC look bad by cutting some of the requested INCREASE (lets face it they have never had a decrease in there budget EVER--)I really expected more from these elected BOE officials. Might as well disband the commission and just let the Super run everything as she does...
Couple of things:
1.) There apparently was no surplus - the "surplus" which was reported by the newspapers was actually a budget position as of the end of a month - it was not actually a surplus amount.
2.) No, I did not receive a 6.41% increase last year - if I'm lucky, and I do mean lucky - I received a 3% increase which was immediately wiped out by increasing fuel costs, increasing home heating oil costs and the rising cost of food as a result of all these increases.
3.) With the economy being extremely rocky now increases in budgets, especially 6.4% increases, are not going to be acceptable.
I hate to say it but I'm voting no if this budget comes out of the Town Council as is.
6.88% to 6.41%
Try again.
BOE gets a F for that try.
Mayor/TC will knock it down ~$500 to $750K Which will make the school increase 5%-5.5%
While the town gets 2.5%
and the overall is 4-4.5%
4% x $4000 in taxes = $160
Why don't that ever offer to cut libary?
Always sports. I remember more of sports and my coaches than the librarians.
Plus I think my kids would explode if they had to lift an encylopedia.
I heard them speak of this internet to access information. Isn't that the space between the rope of the net?
LOL!
Did the Pitsers get bashed here? Yes, the Pitser's do contribute to the community, and Jon is a very patient coach. But they also want to conduct a "social experiment" in this community, which is not responsible. Go test theories on larger class size and lower teacher salaries elsewhere.
This 6.41% increase is just another reason to support Gov. Rell's proposal for a property tax cap. Of course the Democrats in the legislature will fight it because it wasn't "their" idea, just like they "sacked" the Governor's attempt to eliminate the car tax. It's unfortunate that action at the state level is needed to hold the line on local spending, but I think this state is on the verge of a tax revolt.
I believe that this is the year of the Tax Revolt. Our schools don't listen to the taxpayers but have decided that we have the means to support them. Who are they talking about? How can they asked for 6.41% increase?
The Town Council spends money like they had a money tree in the back yard. We have taken the power away from the Finance Board, who were the only ones watching the hen house. We now have to depend on the Town Council to follow our wishes and in the past they haven't had a good record of that.
So now it will be left up to the taxpayers themselves. As they say "Watch out for yourself because no one else will."
The school does not get my vote. The Town...let's see what's on the table.
The BoE must be INSANE!
"Go test THEORIES on larger class size "...?
Not a theory...proven by numerous studies that your kid won't get a better education or more attention in a class of 28 than in a class of 20....and one Harvard study was done using CT public schools as the sample! Counter-intuitive maybe - but it is fact, not theory - tough as that is for parents to understand. Certainly an unpalatable fact for the teacher/administrator union members - some of whom have great influence over what information your BOE members receive.
Last yr our high school had 160 classes with LESS THAN 16 PUPILS and 36 classes with LESS THAN 10 PUPILS. And NO - the vast majority were NOT special ed classes.
If you still think New Milford can't increase SOME class sizes and/or reduce the no. of teachers to yield a savings to taxpayers without harming our children's education, I have a bridge to sell you and the river than runs beneath it.
"The "surplus" which was reported by the newspapers was actually a budget position as of the end of a month."
That's true.
BUT then the administration realized it would end the year with money and that would look bad.
So they decided to BUY and spend on things NOT in the budget - They ended with a surplus of about $200,000 but they could have ended with over $500,000 or more if they did not spend.
Jay. What was spent or ordered in May & June? was the stuff in the budget?
.
The handout provided at the Board of Education meeting on January 30, 2008, the last night of the budget deliberations on the 2008-2009 budget, reflects the following:
On May 31, 2007 there was an available balance of $2,040,201. Mr. Turk was specifically asked whether there was any surplus. He responded there was no surplus.
Between May 31, 2007 and the end of that school year (2006-2007),
$1,384,751 was spent on the following "recurring expenses":
Certified Salaries: $ 78,830
Non-Cert. Salaries $443,000
Garbage & Refuse $ 26,000
Supplies $ 61,000
Normal Monthly Exp. $460,996
Year-end Accruals $314,925
$466,231 was spent on the following B. of E. "Approved Projects/Programs June 12, 2007":
Capital Items Cut by Superintendent in
Budget Process $ 58,466
Capital Items Cut by
B. of E. in
Budget Process $ 35,000
Rediker Software $ 3,500
Security & Vulner-
ability Assessment $ 34,500
JMOA Five Year
Capital Plan 4
Schools $ 33,100
Alert Now Rapid
Notification System $ 19,500
Capital Reserve Fund
Projects Withdrawn $246,365
Laptops for Tutoring $ 15,000
Core reading Books
for SNIS $ 20,000
The remainder was spent as follows:
Reimburse Town for
Police Services
During Bus Strike $ 10,000
Reimburse Town for
Pay to Play Relief $ 60,700
To Capital Reserve $118,519
I have not reviewed the minutes of the meetings nor the timing of the decisions and payments that were made. But based on this handout, it is clear that except for the second group of expenditures - the "Approved Projects/Programs 12 June 2007", there would have been a surplus of $466,231.
I believe that the 2008-2009 budget passed by the B. of E. on January 30, 2008, if approved, would, by itself, result in a 5% tax increase.
The Board's own adopted strategic parameters provide that the Board should provide the best education possible within the means of the community. While the board heard three nights on the "wants and needs of the school system", the board heard no information on the "means of the community". I argued that the Board had a responsibility to consider those. The response of one Board member was that the voters had the final say on that when they voted on the budget. To my mind that is a complete abdication of the responsibility of the Board.
Mr. Wellman
I appreciate the information you put on the table but I was at the BOE meeting on Wednesday and while I heard you speak eloquently about the means of the community,I did not hear you present a motion to reduce the budget in any amount - while I am sure you would have been shot down - shouldn't you at least try and put your money where your mouth is?
The Board Member who Bill Wellman is referring to is David Lawson. He's the one who said, in essence, "let the voters decide."
Dave is a swell guy. He's a teacher in NYS. But Mr. Wellman is right. He was elected to make these decisions. If he doesn't or can't he shouldn't be there.
I think Bill's position is perfectly clear and I find no fault with it.
He said that he would not vote for a budget that, using legal language, wasn't supported by the evidence. I think he meant ANY budget.
So it would have been inconsistent for him to make any recommendation other than the one that he DID make...USE LAST YEAR'S numbers since the administration said that that was a good budget.
My question is did they pay forward any costs for 08/09 that they are still asking for the full amount in the budget proposal?
My thought is yes.
Supplies and garbage are notable ones that are not visible.
Line by line vs spending this year.
I take issue with the idea that the BOE is the board that measures the "means of the community." That is why we have a Board of Finance, Mayor and Town Council. The BOE's job is to make sure the schools provide the best education possible; the others measure the means.
Let's put the budget as it stands out this season, and we'll see if the community wants it or not. I know most who post on this site wouldn't, but their favorite candidates were not elected this fall, either.
The Board Member who Bill Wellman is referring to is David Lawson. He's the one who said, in essence, "let the voters decide."
You know why the hell not let the voters decide? I have no idea why you people are up in arms. If the voters decide a 6.41% increase is reasonable then hey its a democracy.
It seems that some of you want the rest of us to abide by what you think. If the voters vote the budget down, hey I can live with that. Its a democracy. If they approve it you have nothing to bitch about
Buddy, you must be joking.
When Lawson says, "let the voters decide," that means two things:
1) He is banking on getting the PTO and school mommies out to vote, knowing that we have a lot of people in Town who never vote but always complain afterwards; and
2) He doesn't want to appear to be a bad guy in front of his peers and constituents.
I say, unelect those who can't or won't make decisions. We elected them to make decisions, not to evade responsibility by throwing the ball back to us.
You're right. This IS a democracy. Do you know what that means? REPRESENTATIVE government. We elctr them to represent us. WE THE PEOPLE.
I wish you'd try a shot at proper English. It's T-O-O.
So basically you don't want the voters to vote on the budget because they "might" disagree with you
Typical Republican
Wrong inference. And wrong party.
I elected this guy for a reason. I want him to educate himself to the point that he can make this decision for me and my neighbor.
By deferring to the electorate, he's hiding. Make way for someone with some cogliones!
Wow - what a confused Democrat!
The one's who don't make any decisions around here are the Town Council members. They've been able to duck tough budget matters for years! Now let's see what they're made of - on both sides.
Wellman was a chicken because he complained but did not bring one cut to the budget. WHAT A LOSER! Whine like a school kid, but then take no action. Why did he want to be on the BOE in the first place?
As for Lawson, he was recently re-elected. Did you vote for him, Democrat? If you don't like it, then blame yourself if you voted for him.
Well what would you think if the BOF or the Town council determined that the town could pay more?
Do you mean "determined" as in they did a survey, a telephone poll, hired an expert to help with demographics. Something like this? Or do you mean that they stuck a finger in the sir, felt for the political winds, looked at who was in the audience that night and "determined" this?
"You're right. This IS a democracy. Do you know what that means? REPRESENTATIVE government. We elctr them to represent us. WE THE PEOPLE."
In a democracy, people vote directly on issues.
In a republic, people elect others to reprersent them to vote on issues.
The United States is a democratic republic.
Go back to civics class.
Republicans are afraid of what would happen if people voted on the current school budget.
Democrats are afraid of what happens when the mayor and town council get a shot at the budget.
That's democracy, folks! Get your people elected, and let the chips fall where they may. The Dems are rudderless and leaderless for the general elections, while the Republicans don't listen to the electorate when it comes to schools and roads.
Post a Comment