I commend David Schrumm for getting the budget process (pre-planning) started earlier this year by hosting a joint budget pre-planning meeting with participation by both the TC and BOE. It should come as no surprise that this upcoming budget is not going to any easier than the previous one and, in fact, will be more challenging this time around. I expect some of the following issues/topics to be part of the discussion:
- Health Care cost increases
- Pension funding
- Major upcoming capital projects (i.e. sewer treatment plant)
- Education Cost Sharing shortfalls
- Secondary School Reform Costs/Impact
- Salary/Benefit increases due to contractual obligations
- BOE Special Education Account (~$490K short)
- Concessions*
* There has been no official word from the teacher's union leadership that they will help with the upcoming BOE budget. No news is just that, no news at this point.
5 comments:
At the BoE meeting in Council Chambers last month, where the public could speak with committees, I addressed the Curriculum Committee on behalf of the Cheshire Veterans Council. The Council consists of the VFW (where I am Commander), the American Legion and the Army Air Force Roundtable of Connecticut.
My pitch: Begin a Junior ROTC unit at Cheshire High School.
We vets are concerned that young people are being disconnected from the military experience of America which keeps us a free nation. The K-12 curriculum has some bright spots, but overall, young people have little understanding of the role of veterans in American history and society. Nor do they feel deeply connected to the theme of "service and sacrifice" which is the heart of the military tradition.
A Junior ROTC unit would bring that up close and personal for those CHS students who chose to join it, whether it be Army, Navy or Air Force. It would also bring a certain influence to the school's atmosphere, such as observance of an Honor Code, a military drill team, the presence of uniformed students following military discipline and behavior in class, and heightened appreciation for those presently serving in America's armed forces.
A Junior ROTC does not require anyone to join the military. Upon graduation from CHS, JROTC students could go on to a Senior ROTC unit at the college of their choice, but they could also simply end their involvement then, with no further obligation. But they would carry with them a lifetime sense of pride and honor for having had that experience.
Steve Mrowka, the Curriculum Committee chairman, thought my suggestion was a good one. Gerry Brittingham stopped by while I spoke and likewise endorsed the idea.
Assistant Superintendent Scott Detrick took notes and said he would check with JROTC units in Connecticut which I mentioned (Naugatuck, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, Torrington and Groton).
So there would seem to be a possibility of CHS football games and other occasions being opened with a ROTC drill team.
John White
John, I thought your idea was a valid one, very well articulated and peaked the interest of the BOE and public. I'll check with the Curriculum committee at the 11/8 meeting to see if they made any progress on your idea.
- tony
Thank you dad for doing what you're doing... and joining the discussion!
Tony, a suggestion for you when you get to budget time...
If you continue posting here on a regular basis, then people will be looking to TPL for BOE budget details. As such, when GF gives you the budget (around Jan 5 or so??) you should probably just start uploading five to ten pages per day if you want to upload the whole thing. (I always tried to start with the bgt summary, then offer more and more details.) Providing the complete budget has benefits for the future when questions arise and you can easily reference stuff.
Since you know how big the budget is, it may be best to simply upload parts each day so that you can hopefully upload the whole thing before the vote.
Alternatively, maybe you can get GF to get the whole thing online? I'm sure it'd take some time, but it'd be useful.
Either in addition to the budget or as an alternative... tell me if you want me to email you my excel s/s of budget histories. In it, I compare each year's actual to each year's budget. I'm pretty sure GF doesn't provide that in his budget.
I don't have it here, but I'll be home for Christmas. I might be able to dig it up and get it to you then
Though no promises! It's on my desktop which is no longer connected to the web. So it could be quite time-consuming and I expect to have only a few days in Cheshire. Or you may want to ask Bill K. I gave the excel file to him a few years ago. He may still have that... although it may not be current.
I will most likely put it in PDF format and make it available here. But I'll also pick out parts of the budget to discuss here too. After our finance committee meeting yesterday, I'm working on putting together a write up with reports regarding our Special Education account which (thanks to State of CT placements and shrinking reimbursement) is going to be $490K over budget this year. But there's a telling story behind how Special Education costs are reimbursed (or not, in this case).
As for reimbursements, while the State has been under-reimbursing Cheshire for their share of Special Education costs it appears that this 'revenue' is being captured by the Town (not BOE) and put into the town surplus over the years.
I bring up this particular issue because when one looks at the Special Education account line in the budget...it doesn't tell much if anything. So, expect greater details on these items during this upcoming budget process....perhaps a different approach to the budget process as well.
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