Another thing about the School Board Budget....
Not sure that most people understand, but the BudComm has to play by certain rules - the NH State Statutes (the RSAs) outline what SB2 Town BudComms can and cannot review.
Simply stated, if something is covered by a legal contract, a BudComm cannot review it. Fine...that is the law. We go by the law, we play by the rules. We may not like them, but like all good sports, we may grouse about them but we follow them.
So?
Well, in the Town, the union contract covering many of the DPW personnel, the salaries and benefits there were off limits. Fine and Dandy.
Ditto for the teachers - a collective bargaining agreement covering the union is off limits in most years. Fine and Dandy.
In fact, most of the "high value" (and well compensated) in the SAU is under one contract or another.
Well, as a new BudComm member, I found out something very interesting. Almost EVERYTHING in the School Board budget is covered by a contract. Rendering a LOT of the Budget off limits to the oversight of the BudComm.
I am a computer consultant. There were a number of items concerning the IT area (Information Technology) that I had concerns over - specifically those relating to access to the Internet, security of the network, software filters, and the like. I thought that these items were high, and certainly needed looking into.
Why? Well, the SAU purchases these items from an outside body. Fine And Dandy.
Problem is, they were declared to be off-limits. Why? Contractural obligations. And the contract did not split out the costs of the individual items in which I was concerned. Thus, while my gut feeling is that they are overpriced, there is nothing that can be done.
And here is the REAL kicker...
The contracts for these IT items, like a bunch of other things in the budget run July to June.
July to June. Got that? Now answer the question - when does the budget "season" take place?
Well, it ain't in June and it ain't in July, that's fer real sure. After all, there's a real good reason why my name (and Doug's) has been in the local papers so often these last few months.
Yup, you're right! Budget season started in September and ends (for the BudComm) basically this Thursday (or at the deliberative sessions when anyone can ask to have money added for pet projects or subtracted for disliked items).
And YES! You have put the two together! How can the BudComm really carry out is legally defined oversight mission when the SAU contracts are 6 months out of phase with the review process? And the School Board has not requested that these contracts be adjusted to be more in line with the Budget Season?
Why? Just look at today's Citizen where the Winnisquam Regional School Board voted to oppose the creation of a BudComm (frankly, I hope that the warrant article is a resounding success). It shows the utter hubris when handling other peoples' money:
"The budget committee role is not geared toward student achievement," said School Board Chair David Foster of Northfield,...
No kidding, Sherlock! A budget committee is supposed to represent the taxpayers and make sure that their hard earned money is being wisely and prudently spent. Yet, even when doing that, I know that "ordinary citizens" understand the underlying purposes of the monies.
...who added he would worry about the additional time and resources a budget committee would take from school administrators whose focus should be on student learning and achievement.
Right again, Mr. and Ms. Taxpayer - the bulk of the cost of the SAU can never be reviewed by your watchdog, the BudComm. We should not question those that spend it! Right?
The BudComms, Gilford or otherwise, are about accountability. The action above, as well as the warrant article to dissolve the Gilford BudComm is about that.
And control. They see BudComms as unnecessary pests - who are they to question their knowledge?
Oh, back to the WRSB controversy and the creation of an SB BudComm
It has the support of all three boards of selectmen, and is the result of a petition generated by them.
Get that? ALL THREE selectboards. Now, one should assume that these town leaders have something on the ball, that they are at LEAST average wit and wisdom (and probably much higher). if the leadership of these three boards believe and want it, and the SB doesn't,....
Does that tell you something about that School Board?
And in Gilford, by taking much of the budget out of bounds of review, hasn't the Gilford School Board done effectively the same thing?
