School Budget: August 2008 Archives
".......we hope that selectmen, school board members, county commissioners, city councilors and members of County Conventions will take a hard-nosed approach when it comes to proposals for so-called 'big-ticket projects' such as new buildings or proposals to add employees."
Article Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Gov. John Lynch is calling for two kinds of budgets when a new Legislature convenes — tight and tighter.Republicans have been trying to weaken Lynch's big advantage in the polls by trying to identify him with the huge revenue shortfalls of the current biennium. So far it hasn't stuck. Voters seem prepared to identify the shortfalls with the weak national economy. Lynch met with department heads Friday and told them it's not going to be easy. He wants innovation and efficient use of limited resources. He also wants two proposals — one holding programs at current levels and one cutting spending by three percent in 2009 and 2010, going back to current levels in 2011.By assuming this posture of fiscal discipline, Lynch certainly set the tone for the fall campaign.But his approach should reach beyond the political debate of the coming weeks. It should also frame the discussion for the work of preparing budgets in the various cities and towns, school districts and counties across the state.
John Andrews, director of the
Given the current economic climate, they can be assured that the majority of taxpayers will support them in this effort. To this end we hope that selectmen, school board members, county commissioners, city councilors and members of County Conventions will take a hard-nosed approach when it comes to proposals for so-called 'big-ticket projects' such as new buildings or proposals to add employees.Even at times as difficult as the ones we are facing there will be some cases where major capital improvements or adding staff is absolutely imperative. But for the most part these requests, though they may produce certain benefits, fall short of being absolutely needed right here, right now.
Just as importantly, those officials — whether elected or appointed — who have a role in determining pay and benefits for public employees need to demonstrate they understand the burden under which so many taxpayers are finding themselves. To advocate pay raises on the grounds that there have been pay raises in previous years is simply untenable. Public employee unions also need to acknowledge the present economic realities when they sit down to negotiate new contracts. To push for substantial pay raises or to be unwilling to accept proposals for members to pick up a bigger share of health-care benefits will only hurt their credibility with taxpayers with private-sector jobs who fear being laid off. In the last several years, local communities and school districts have been more or less successful in funding the higher cost of government by capitalizing on the volume of residential and commercial construction, which has produced a tremendous expansion of the tax base in many area communities. But the tax base is no longer expanding at the same rate, so any increase in the cost of government is going to fall harder on current taxpayers. Those leaders in government who recognize that they are the stewards of the resources that come from the people understand that this coming budget season presents challenges far different from any other year in recent memory. It requires taking tough stands and standing by those decisions. And it also requires a sensitivity that
the taxpayer's ability to pay is not as great as in past years.
Note from the MCA: As many towns in NH struggle with upcoming budgets and rising taxes, we are still awaiting here in Moultonboro even a discussion of what we are doing or should be doing to keep our tax burden as low as possible and reduce not increase spending. Fellow citizens, we need to ask our selectmen and school board what they are planning to do and when will the Advisory Budget Committee meet?
MCA
By SHAWNE K. WICKHAM
Sunday August 24th, 2008
As town and city officials begin putting together their budgets for next year, many face a Solomonic choice: Increase property taxes or cut services.And this year, with the economic downturn hitting folks hard in their personal budgets, some local officials say they'll choose the latter."It's very scary," said Fred Kelley, chairman of the board of selectmen in
John Andrews, executive director of the
By JOHN WHITSON
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008
Anyone who has driven to the grocery store, bought a supply of food and tried to make it stretch through a week knows how expensive that routine has become.Imagine doing the same thing for thousands of kids a day, and you get a sense of the pressures weighing on school district food directors. "It's really the perfect storm of costs, with everything that's going on," said Jeanette Kimbell, Nashua's director of food services, citing fuel and energy costs, as well as food prices that have spiked in nearly every category.Add to that the push toward offering healthier (more expensive) food options that are labor-intensive (more expensive) to prepare, and you get a witches brew not seen in decades."It's been since the mid-1970s since we've had food product costs rise across the board this quickly," said Erik Peterson, spokesman for the School Nutrition Association, a nonprofit foundation representing school food workers nationwide."We're hearing from a lot of districts trying to balance a host of challenging, costly issues," he said.From June 2007 to June 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows eggs up 23 percent, milk up 7 percent, cheese up 15 percent, fresh vegetables up 8 percent and bakery products up 10 percent.
Aiming to break even
School food budgets are crafted with a break-even goal: offset spending with income from food sales .......
Theodore Comstock, Executive Director
Barrett M. Christina, Staff Attorney
www.nhsba.org
A recent article in the Concord Monitor highlighted the predicaments school districts area facing as a result of rising fuel costs and related operation expenses. Some districts are considering eliminating bus routes, consolidating bus routes, and reducing their schedule to a four-day school week in the winter
months. Also in response to these concerns, many school boards are reviewing and researching energy conservation policies. These concerns are likely shared throughout the state. With the beginning of another school year approaching, these issues offer a timely opportunity for school board members and administrators to review the pertinent state statutes and NHSBA Sample Policies relative to transportation, school building maintenance, and energy conservation.....
Fosters.Com
WOLFEBORO — The Gov. Wentworth Regional School Board determined there wasn't enough time to resolve all the issues to make any drastic changes in the school calendar before classes begin in two weeks
District officials heard from Superintendent Jack Robertson and listened to more than 100 area residents, including parents, teachers and district staff, as board members discussed adding 45 minutes to the school day, moving to a four-day school week during the winter months and other less drastic means to save on energy costs.
"The purpose of this is not about adopting this (proposed) calendar, it's about saving energy," Robertson said.
Robertson said the average annual costs for fuel and electricity in the district — which includes the communities of Brookfield, Effingham, New Durham, Ossipee, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro — are significantly higher than last year and more than initially budgeted by officials. For the 2008-09 school year, the district budgeted $290,000 for oil, $470,000 for electricity and $292,000 for diesel fuel, but estimates the projected costs to be $368,000, $580,000 and $347,000, respectively — resulting in a total shortfall of $243,000, according to Robertson.
District officials know it is not a short-term problem since fuel and heating costs have increased 450 percent in the past decade, he said.
Robertson said the district spends more than 99 percent of its budget, leaving very little left over to pay the expected shortfall. He added the district can reduce some of the amount by 5 to 7 percent — possibly $47,000 to $66,000 —
The Citizen August 19th 2008
The idea of a four-day school week as a way to save energy costs has little support on the Inter-Lakes School Board. The issue was briefly discussed at last Tuesday's meeting of the Inter-Lakes board as a possibility discussed by other school districts. Other school districts, such as the Governor Wentworth School District and Shaker Regional School District, have previously discussed the possibility of extending the school day for extra time and having a four-day week in hopes of saving money with high fuel costs. ..
Editorial The Citizen Friday, August 8, 2008
The
Other school districts are having serious discussions on how they will deal with the serious challenges higher fuel prices put on their budgets. The
The underlying message of this trial balloon is one that is worth heeding. School districts, like other arms of government, face serious challenges as energy prices continue to rise. The proposal of extending the school day one hour and going to a four-day-a-week from December through March again directs attention to the need of coming up with ways to deal with the cost of heating homes, schools and businesses this winter, and helping those who can least afford it deal with high transportation costs. The idea is that shutting schools will save on heating costs and save workers the gas used to commute on the fifth day. On the other hand, fiddling with the established weekly schedules in schools means a great number of people would have to shift their daily lives. Working parents who find their children out of school an extra day would have to deal with finding and paying for more child care. Schools would have to figure out how to meet the minimum number of school days mandated by law. It's much easier to point out the obstacles to making an idea work than to come up with a fresh approach toward dealing with a tough problem. A four-day school week might prove to be impractical for many reasons, but the idea goes beyond the usual focus on how we pay our most immediate bills. No matter the ultimate outcome of such proposals, school districts deserve credit for being willing to look at bold moves to deal with a daunting and serious issue. There is little prospect for oil prices coming down anywhere near the level that we've enjoyed in the past. That means we all need to look at how we can change the way we live to cope with the changing world of energy
