The New Rochelle Board of Education has scheduled a series of budget discussions with members of the Board and the School District’s Central Administration.
There will be two School Budget Community Input Forums. The board will seek the public’s guidance on the development of the school district’s 2014-2015 annual budget and the financing of the instructional program offered to children.
“We actively seek your participation in our budget process and we want to help you become as informed as possible,” said School Board President David Lacher.
For your information, the School Budget Community Input Forums and the School Budget Review Sessions will be broadcast live on Cablevision (Channel 77), Verizon (Channel 30) and on our website. The streaming webcast link will be posted on www.nred.org closer to the date of the first Budget Forum. Please visit our website for updated information.
The Forums and Review Sessions will be held in the New Rochelle High School Library,
265 Clove Road, New Rochelle, New York, as follows:
School Budget Community Input Forums – Community Input is Invited:
▪ Tuesday….January 21, 2014……7:30 P.M.
▪ Thursday…February 13, 2014…7:00 P.M.
School Budget Review Sessions – Community Discussion is Invited:
▪ Thursday…March 6, 2014……..7:00 P.M.
▪ Tuesday…..March 11, 2014……7:00 P.M.
▪ Tuesday…..March 18, 2014……7:00 P.M.
The schedule is posted on the district Website, www.nred.org.
“We are committed to the dual goals of excellence and equity for every student in our schools,” said Lacher. “At the same time, we remain ever mindful of the significant burden that quality education places upon our local taxpayers.”
“I look forward to seeing you at the meetings.”
What is the sense?
What is the sense of these public guidance sessions.
In the last two budget seasons, we had a bunch of dedicated people spent many hours of their time to go through the budget and to make recommendations.
The first CAC had lists of detailed points and as far as we know very few to none of these recommendations were acted upon.
Last years CAC had a more general approach, based on numbers they received at the very last moment at some point in…what… late January… which were not even actual numbers but only budgeted numbers.
As someone that has consistently fought for change in waste management and the gross waste of money in that department, I am discouraged. Past experience shows clearly, that even though public input is sought it is not truly considered.
So I am asking, what is the sense?