This is a list of the reductions to the proposed BOE Budget that were recommended by BOE Member Bill Wellman. "Most of the Administrators said that last year's Budget was good," he said. "Given the economic times we're facing, I don't see the need for these increases."
So there's no misunderstanding, here's how to read this. For example, the proposed increase in Object line 321, Instructional Programs, was $5,495.00. This is an 8.9% increase over last year's Budget.
OBJECT, TITLE, PROPOSED INCREASE $, PROPOSED INCREASE%
321, Instructional Programs, $5,495.00 , 8.9%
322, Program Improvement, $12,100.00, 22.8%
323, Pupil Services Guidance, $69,449.00, 14.9%
324, Staff Training, $47,700.00, 97.3%
432, Non-Instructional Equipment, $4,553.00, 5.3%
433, Building & Grounds, $20,110.00, 8.5%
641, Texts New, $16,764.00, 18.2%
642, Texts Repair, $32,280.00, 67.6%
647, Periodicals, $4,385.00, 18.1%
720, Buildings & Improvements, $157,200.00, 214.2%
731, New Instructional Equipment, $66,043.00, 410.0%
733, Non-Instructional Equipment, $228,346.00, 1210.0%
734, Non-Instructional Equipment, Replace $45,359.00, 256.3%
810, Dues & Fees, $33,291.00, 69.0%
TOTAL PROPOSED REDUCTION: $743,075.00
Bill's motion failed, 7-2. Only he and Julie Turk voted for it.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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Sorry about the formatting.
733, Non-Instructional Equipment, $228,346.00, 1210.0%
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What is the above? Why on earth do we need a 1210% increase on any budget item?
It is unfortunate that the motion was to simply erase the line items. Take periodicals, for example. Last year, we must have spent about $3,713 on periodicals. This year, the request is for an 18% increase to $4,385.
Should this item simply be erased? Can we get by with $3,713 again? Or can it be reduced to $2500 if we get the NY Times online?
I guess we will now have to force them in to it at the referendum.
Do they have the ability to deliberate on passing certain items and failing others? Or are they only able to approve this as a whole?
I'm not savvy on how the BOE meetings work - I know there is a difference in how the Council and BOF deliberate on line items...
They can do whatever they want. Excuse me (cough) they will do whatever Queen Ann wants them to do.
In response to Scott's post - Bill's motion was not to "erase" the line item - rather he proposed that the item stay as budgeted for this year's budget. In other words if this year's budget was $100 and the administration requested $125, Bill was simply proposing that the budget remain at $100.
In response to little miss m - yes, the Board can vote line by line or the budget as a whole.
I agree with Mr. Wellman. If they had a surplus of 2 mil then some items should stay flat. Could someone please tell me what a "non-instructional equipment" is?...
THere should have been a lot more lines kept the same as this years budget.
"non-instructional equipment" is?...
could be office machines and pencil sharpeners perhaps
Could it be more TV's for the cafateria?
If last year's $55.5 million BoE budget was "good" and they still couldn't spend it all (with a $2 million surplus left over), how can Mr. Wellman or anyone else justify a total BoE budget of $58.4 million this year? (That's what his proposed "reduction" of $740 thousand to the bloated $59.1 million BoE budget works out to.)
Knocking a few hundred thousand dollars off a massive, multi-million dollar increase is political grandstanding, not fiscal responsibility. I'm disappointed in Mr. Wellman for making such a spendthrift proposal...
Based on the numbers, it appears that little or no budget increase is justified this year...
pb - From its title, I believe object Code 733 includes all kinds of equipment which are not used for instruction. I should point out, however, $87,213 of the total change comes from the Department of Instruction for "capital technology lease purchase" and that this will be the second year of the "agreement". Since the amount budgeted for this last year was $1250, this represents an increase in this category alone in this budget line for this department of 6977.0%. The figures in my chart reflect the consolidated figures for the entire school system. I hope this is helpful. For more details, you might want to check the school systems web site as I have requested that the entire budget be posted.
Bill best of luck with the fight.
BOE is no place for common sense.
I remember like yesterday when teachers starting using the movie because kids wouldn't/couldn't read the books.
I was suprised with the rain that school wasn't cancelled today.
Sorry, I didn't read the column headers correctly.
Everything sounds reasonable then.
My vote in the general election will be identical to everybody's on the BOE except Mr. Wellman's (thanks, Bill, for doing your homework) and Ms. Turk's. NO.
The BOE's attitude just stinks. It's clear they won't yield a nickel. Don't expect me to.
Of course the BOE isn't going to budge.They believe they have a mandate from the past election and are going to try and flex some muscle. It will be interesting to see their attitude after the budget gets voted down.
Mr. Wellman is telling half truths now, too.
He didn't request the budget to be put on line - it was already on-line. It has been this way for a number of years.
Also, don't believe that he came up with this list on his own. During the budget hearings he stated he was not an "education expert," and was not qualified to make these choices. At the meeting, he didn't even know what the line items were he was cutting. I think he's getting help from someone - any ideas, Jay????
Clearly Mr. Wellman could never be as smart as you are, but if he were to get help from any and all places, why would it matter?
I mean why would it matter????
some people have a personal gripe with jay
At least he knows enough to have contact with the real world...the taxpayers that the board expects to pass this budget....you should get out there and feel the anger
Just to point out, the brillant members of the BOE can't find $1.75 million to cut, but expect taxpayers to find 6.5% increase.
$4000 tax bill and I need to find $260 but out of $59 million they can't find $1.75.
I'm not a math genius but someone explain that to me. You can't get blood from a stone.
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