In my entry yesterday I referenced TWO formats being used by the SAD63 business office. It has been my impression (now incorrect as I've just had clarified) that the format used for the Statement of Operations was being generated by an outside source/agency whereas the Excel format used in the Proposed Budget mailer was the only one from the School District's Business Manager. (I do know the Business Manager has stated she can only produce the Projected Budget in Excel -so now I have twice as many doubts about that).
According to a reporter from Holden, BOTH formats are generated by SAD63's Central Office - aka the Business Manager's office. The Statement of Operations is/was generated by the ADS computer system purchased by the school district some years ago - at no small price. One must presume it incorporates the data generated by the contracted Payroll Processing agency which appears to receive over $6,000 annually for this service. (Although, it is my understanding that the current Business Manager was supposed to handle the payroll herself in exchange for her initial salary which was higher than her predecessor who DID do the payroll without any outside contracted service. At least that's what I've been told by at least three different sources.)
So my question is STILL - If there is a computer generated system producing the Statement of Operations in SAD63's Central Office, why isn't the proposed budget produced in the same format as the Statement of Operations so that the voters could compare the previous year's expenses with those being projected for the coming year? If the Business Manager hasn't learned how to make that happen in the five years she's had the position, why? Isn't that her job? Especially when she's being paid over $72,000 annually to be able to produce understandable documents that are Public Documents.
(BTW, if this new budget is passed, the individual will receive a significant pay raise in addition to having her contract extended by three years!) That means SAD63 will be paying its Business Manager over one-third of what the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury is paid - and he has a much larger area of responsibility.
I just know, after attending School Board meetings and Budget and Finance Committee meetings (including a Citizens Advisory meeting) that what I do understand doesn't hold any water for all the reasons noted in previous blog entries. Especially now with this clarification.
Thanks, Holden.
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Maybe we should make motions to pass over all articles, but article 16 and make it the same as last year
ReplyDeleteAccording to Roberts' Rules of Order, if someone made a motion to Amend the Agenda and consider Article 16 first - before any other Article - and if that Motion is Seconded - we could proceed to discussion. My reasons for doing this are explained. Then the Moderator would have to call the Vote. If the Vote to consider Article 16 wins - we can save a lot of time because the next Discussion would be to how much the sum total should be. If we vote "NO" for the current Amount, the next Motion would be for an alternative Amount and I would proposed that amount should be the same amount as the sum total as was budgeted for the 2009-09 school budget. IF THAT Motion was Seconded and passes, we are done for the evening since all other Articles would be Moot. If either the Article 16 motion or the "no increase" motion is voted down, those of us who oppose this increase AND/OR the contract extentions might as well get up and leave.
ReplyDeleteBUT - it will take TWO motions to accomplish this - ONE to take up Article 16 first (Amend the Agenda) and the Second to make the sum total no greater than the 2008-09 budget.
R.