Well, it has come to this, but I think it important enough to re-post and remind people of things done / stated, leading up to where we are regarding school funding:
from a statement released by Templeton Town Administrator, Carter Terenzini:
" . . .And - in terms of dollars to us - it means that even after all of the required cuts and disruption,
even after all of the negative publicity counter to our efforts to attract and retain school choice
students - a source of some $2.2 Million dollars of income to our district - and potential loss of
local pride; the NRSD would still need an increase in local combined funding of some
$235,000. That is roughly $195,500 to us and $39,500 to Phillipston; cuts we would both have
to identify quickly in order to be prepared to propose cuts at the potential June Special Town
Meeting to not only approve any recertified NRSD budget but to cut our FY '20 Opex budgets
just approved at our respective Town Meetings. . . . "
I am not sure of the source of 2.2 million in revenue, but I do know what information is presented by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education;
Narragansett Regional School District receives the state cap of $5,000.00 for each school choice student that comes into the district (school choice receiving) while the district spends an average of $8,830.00 per each of those school choice students, so how do school choice students equate to positive revenue when you spend more on them than they bring?
Remember, or go look, at the budget message from the Narragansett Regional School District:
"A budget is a moral document. What we fund is what we value." So, I would ask each member of the school committee, do you value your community in which you live?
If you do, you would seriously rethink the district budget that you continue to put before the residents of your respective communities. You would reconsider your continued use of school choice as both a revenue source and an operational element to the entity which you are suppose to look after, the school, as an entity, but perhaps more importantly, the community from where each member of the school committee comes from. Your steadfast refusal to reconsider and use the numbers (dollar figures) that others (DLS, DESE) are using and agree are reliable, has the result of doing the opposite of what your budget message states. In my opinion, it shows you either do not value your community or you do not truly comprehend the meaning of your budget message.
It's government math.................
ReplyDeleteAdd $1,439,560.00 for the incoming money and the $734,996 in outgoing money ($2,174,556) and you round up! Whalah, you have $2.2.............lol
Thats the friggin problem. Or government talks about $2.2 million dollars when in fact the only number effecting the budget is $704,564.00 which is the difference between sent and received. That number, the $704,564.00 is how much additional money we get to teach 243.
Community is the keyword. Community is not one slice of the pie, or one bite of the apple. The community is all of our workers, our police, our highway department, the people who work in town hall. They may not live here, but they all contribute to how stable our community is, by doing their jobs. Our children are an important part of our community but so are the elderly. They have gone through the circle of their lives supporting what the community has needed. Some have been more active than others, in the community, but they all have contributed their fair share by faithfully paying their taxes. A balance has to be found so all of our employees are treated fairly. Why should anyone work for our community when the only sure thing is you will not work in your job with out being laid off of worse yet, be let go. This is not all on the school. The Town Administrator and Selectmen have a hand in this and how town is run, and how money is spent. People have the right to demand real numbers, and as far as I can see, are not going to tolerate spin or half truths. Be warned, the days of swallowing what they are told us over. These younger people are intelligent, and will find the truth. It is only a few key strokes away.
ReplyDelete