Why I voted no on the ECSD Budget

At our June meeting I voted no on the 2013-2014 budget for quite a few reasons. The link to the Voice article at the bottom of this post gives an overview as to why I did.

First and foremost, there have been unequal cuts to staff in regards to both their percentages and the literal dollar amount. Our support staff: bus drivers, custodians, and secretaries have done their fair share of cutting when they only make up less than 13% of our budget. Even though all three added together make up 13% of the personnel budget they make up over half of our cuts that we have made in personnel! This is not right and we cannot afford to balance the budget on our smallest group of employees. They may only make up 13% of our budget, but they certainly do more than 13% of the work. Simply put, our schools would not run without them and I am tired of them getting kicked, while they are already down. They deserve respect and I'll be the first to applaud them in their duties, not just by talking about it, but also my actions in the votes that I take as a board member.

We only held two budget workshops this year, but both only lasted around an hour. Budget workshops give the board and the community the opportunity to have a say on what is in the budget. I personally went through the budget line by line and there were just too many things that I couldn't swallow... Too many questions went unanswered and there were too many variables.

There was little to no board input in regards to any aspect of the budget. I personally put together alternative revenue ideas from the public and none were considered for this budget-I will continue to push to have these implemented this school year, so that we can attempt to balance the budget without further cuts. I suggested that we go line by line, because some school districts will do 12 hour sessions or 6 hour sessions on their budget. I think it's better to have seven eyes than one in regards to looking at a budget. In a nearly 40 million dollar budget you can really hide a lot of stuff, and things can go unnoticed.

The budget was not balanced. I understand that we have a fund balance that can cover these expenses, but we can only dip into our savings so much until there's nothing left to dip into.

Solutions:

I just got done explaining why I voted no, now let me tell you what we need to do before next year and give guidelines as to a budget I would vote for:

• Form a budget/finance committee
• We have had discussions about forming committees and I'm sure there will be more talk before we do anything. I think a budget committee would need to consistently go through the budget and keep an eye on the process. This will ensure more transparency and accountability for the budget. I will be the first to volunteer to come on board with a budget committee!
  
• Hold more in depth budget workshops
• This is critical to the process. In order for the board to vote on something, I would hope that we would read and understand it first. This has not been the case with the budget. We get balance sheets and that's about it, how can you base a vote on balance sheets?-Not reading line by line.
• If we read through the budget together during workshops then we will have a better chance of brainstorming ideas and solutions for the budget. Also, this ensures that the board and community understands what they are voting on.
• If we hold them earlier in the year the board and public will have a chance to have a say in the process as well, this is critical to the issue of transparency.
  
• Have a more detailed and in depth process for the entire board
• This is kind of a repeat of the above solution, but again the board needs to be active in the BOARD budget. The administration can recommend, but it is ultimately our responsibility. We are the ones elected to do this and we need to stop shirking the responsibility.
  
• Take wording out of support service contracts in regards to privatization
• In 2014 two of our three support service contracts are up for negotiation. I would like to see the wording that allows new hires to be hired in by PCMI and METS eliminated.
• This month, I am voting to approve the administrative contract with no cuts (because they have taken way more than the teachers in regards to pay) in good faith that my fellow board members will take the target off of our support service employees.
  
• Balance the annual budget
• Lastly, I would like to see us start a budget year off with a balanced budget for the first time in a long time. If we form a committee and allow the budget to be dissected, coupled with alternative revenue, I have no doubt that we will reach this goal.

As always let me know if you have questions and stay tuned for more blog posts!

Sources:

Link to the budget

Voice article