from the Narragansett budget presentation for fiscal year 2017;
Executive Summary:
At Narragansett, we are committed to providing our students with the highest quality education that we can. The proposed FY 17 Genera Fund budget of $19,458,752.00 reflects an increase of 2.42%. The revenue to fund this budget is made up of chapter 70 state aid, local assessments from our member towns, revolving funds and $255,000.00 from excess & deficiency.
from the Narragansett budget presentation for fiscal year 2018;
Executive Summary:
At Narragansett, we are committed to providing our students with the highest quality education that we can. The proposed FY 18 Genera Fund budget of $20,015,181.00 reflects an increase of 2.72%. The revenue to fund this budget is made up of chapter 70 state aid, local assessments from our member towns, revolving funds and $415,000.00 from excess & deficiency.
Also from the FY 2018 budget presentation;
This year, in developing the FY 2018 budget, we started with a $848,439.00 shortfall. The budget sub committee looked at all of the budget requests very closely and asked that a level service budget be presented. The level service budget was prepared and still presented a $518,974.00 shortfall of expenses over income. The superintendent was asked to reduce the proposed budget by $289,469.00. This task resulted in the loss of five positions: digital literacy teacher, horticulture teacher, guidance counselor, health teacher and media center paraprofessional, as well as a realignment of a math tutor, math coach, preschool paraprofessional, custodian and our automated notification system. After reducing the budget by the above positions, there was still a shortfall of $229,505.00 that the budget sub committee voted to ask for from the towns. On March 29, 2017, the Narragansett Regional School Committee voted to certify the district's budget at $20,015,181.00, which includes the shortfall of $229,505.00.
On a side note, when I was in school, math help or any other subject, usually consisted of a teacher staying after school and help any student who showed up, as in, all for the kids. The only coaches I am aware of were sports coaches. I do know, times change, but perhaps it is time to take a hard look at how we do business today.
I may be in the minority here and it kind of goes against my financial conservatism, but just like back in the summer of 2013, I still think for long term stability, a one million dollar override should have been asked for back then and that is still the case today. There also needs (as in must) be a hard look at how things are done in Templeton. What other services can be bid out or done in a different approach to benefit the Town financially. Would it devastate the Town to at least look at bidding for a private company to provide ambulance service to Templeton and perhaps provide a positive cash flow to the Town, while having ambulance service to the Town. Would there be a financial benefit in doing so? Would it hurt to ask the question?
Thankyou for this Jeff . No I don’t think that those questions should be off the table. I’m not as familiar ( not by a long shot ) with municpial budgets as you .
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest problem we have is most people do not understand how fragile our revenue is and how it effects our town government. For one thing we still do not have a bond rating. Remember the "state" did not want to give us a loan. Why, we have too much debt. In reality the Light and Water, along with Sewer debt is our debt should they go under. So we now are taking out short term loans to pay for a school that will be too big for our future needs, if you look at long term projections the state published. As I have trying to point out for long enough, we have gone through being broke for twenty years, due to the loss of paying businesses that contributed to our revenue stream. We continue to try to do more than we are able. Who said we need some of the "things" we have when we clearly cannot afford them ? We react to one crisis after another, over and over again ! We plan for nothing ! We, our town people who want to afford to live in this town have very little to show for all of the money we have triggered away. What will it take ? Try Selectmen who have a clue, and without their own agendas, along with a TA that has a real investment in the community.
DeleteI did mean fritter away. Some say I am being "negative" ! I will tell you I am being honest ! State projections say our town will be supported by the elderly ! I do not think they figured on a big change in the tax rate, because the majority of elderly will not be able to manage, or will the young people who have bought more house than they will be able to act in the long run. We have to live within our means, like it or not. One positive thing people can do is to pay attention, and watch it attend meetings. Support your Advisory Committee, they do work for you ! Ask yourself, why does the BOS want this committee, gone or under their control ?
DeleteAgain, sorry for the typo's. This I pad has got to go.
DeleteBev, what would you like cut as citizen what can you do without . Can you list a few for me? Thankyou
ReplyDeletecut all of town government until the tax payers start to pay attention to what there town government is doing
ReplyDeletePretty 7:06 I am on my way home ! I will get back to you all, but I am so glad to see so many of you taking a interest in our town gov. Good or bad, I will take the comments, because there is so much for people to learn. Even at my age, sometimes I am astonished at what I learned. All of the financial problems could have been avoided, but our leadership does the same thing time and time again ! They maybe new people, but call into the same trap. Take Scout Hall ! In the last budget, our TA planned on paying for it by "selling t shirts". I am not kidding. He told myself and Julie that budget was not sustainable for this fiscal year, last year ! Our highway dept was short two guys all summer, like when work is supposed to get done, but raises got handed out, when there was not enough money ! Go figure !
ReplyDelete