Budgeting Process
August 11, 2004
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
Yes, I am now on the B-R School Committee, and also a member of the Budget Review Sub-Committee. However, and I cannot stress this enough, the only set of accounting that I have seen as of this writing is for the period-ending 4/30/04. The year-end reports were requested in writing on 7/2/04. On 7/20, I was told that it was still in process. It is now August 11th, 42 days after the close of the fiscal year.
Citizens elect School Committee members to be responsible for many things - and budgets is one of those areas. What kind of determinations are to be expected from such out-of-date material?
So, to answer the question many are asking about where cuts could be made -- it is impossible to say since I have not been provided with the materials to even begin analyzing how money is spent.
And one last thing, even though the B-R School Comm sets the initial budget plan, no further votes are ever taken to approve expenditures beyond the approved spending. To illustrate, town voters in Bridgewater or Raynham would be called to a Town Meeting to approve the transfer of $500 from a Highway Supply Account to a Court Time Salary Account (assuming there is not sufficient funds remaining on account) prior to the money being spent. No such process exists for B-R. So when you read that the budget for "School Committee Supplies & Materials" is $60,423 or the budget for "Textbooks - Elementary" is $10,232 {2004-05 Prelim School Budget packet}, it is not until the year-ending reports that it can be learned if the money was spent as intended. And, if more or less was actually spent in the category.
