I'm hoping Brad Moulton will still send to me his notes because I'm sure at this point he is better able to synthesize the 3 hours worth of notes into something meaningful better than I. I'm going to hand select a couple I can actually get my arms around.
Last night's meeting got under way about 7:45 and ended about 10:45. There were roughly forty people in attendance. There was one comment on the agenda, three comments during community corner, and three pieces of correspondence were recieved (one concerning class sizes, one a thank you from Maureen Kehoe, and one from the Nazareth YMCA offering use of its pool to the NASD).
The primary discussion took place around the 2007-2008 budget. There was also an explanation of the new Standards Based Report Cards and of the redistricting that will need to take place at the elementary level beginning next year.
During the Budget Discussion it was noted that the inclusion of a pool at the new MS would account for $425,000 per year of debt service and $200,000 per year to operate and maintain. To date, $35,000 has been spent on drawings related to the pool and it is estimated that $300,000 would be needed to keep it in the plans through final approval. Given the offer made by the YMCA (which did not indicate the amount of the rental fee) for exclusive use of the pool (it was a two page letter of which I do have a copy and it does seem to address the issues against using the pool in the past) and potential alternative option of using the pool at Wilson HS, the Board passed a motion to halt further work on pool plans until the 2/12 Board meeting. Between now and then the curriculum and athletic committees would meet to discuss the offer and make a recommendation to the Board.
The new Standards Based Report Cards will eliminate report cards as we know them, but they are being slowly rolled out as a work in progress. To start five students per teacher per school will begin to use them. Over time a handbook will be developed to help clarify to parents what the standards entail on a grade by grade basis. In short a student will be evaluated based on his/her ability to meet expected standards for that grade level in multiple areas per subject level. Students will not be graded based on their performance against their peers. As an example there will not be a grade for math, instead a student will be scored on proficiency within the areas being tested in math that are based on the state standards.
Given the length of the budget discussion, I'm going to put those notes under a separate post.
The redistricting report was a summary of what was discussed on Thursday at the Committee meeting (read the post from that meeting here).
The Express-Times JD Malone had two articles this morning from the meeting (and the Express-Times implemented a new search tool) one based on the budget on on the YMCA offer.
10 comments:
Ross-
Nice summary. I'll hit on a couple other things, but within the context of this thread:
There was one comment during the initial community corner from Roxanne DeRaymond. She inquired about class dues, limits on extra curricular activities for students who owe their dues, etc. She noted that at $100/student and over 400 students in her child's class, that amounted to over $40K. She wanted to know how that money is accounted for. Dr. Lesky stated that the class dues money is strictly regulated and audited every year. Extra money cannot be carried over and is usually given back to the school in some form or fashion as a "gift".
Dr. Lesky noted that January is School Directors Appreciation Month and publically thanked each and every member of the board. Each board member was given a certificate of appreciation.
As to the Pool, it appeared that the board was very appreciative of the offer by the YMCA. While they needed to review (discuss with Buildings & Grounds, Athletics) they seemed positive. Dr. Lesky asked the board to "look positively on this offer" and move forward with this offer in mind. Mr. Keller was equally thankful, stating "I don't know what to say. Thank You." He further stated that it's "great to partner with the community".
As to the Budget, Ms. Rishcoff stated that by tomorrow (today) the budget should be online at the distric website for public review. One more additional note:
Act 1 will limit tax increases for next year to 4.2% (that's why that number is presented in the Budget Thread). However, there are instances (exceptions) that will allow for an increase in that rate. Due to our increased costs of special ed, NASD can file for an exception which will allow the board to raise taxes in excess of 4.2% (that's why you see the 5.2% in the budget thread). The board has been recommended to file for the exception, if the need for more revenue materializes. It was stated over and over that this doesn't mean they will increase taxes greater than the 4.2% (and in fact, they recommended going forward with the prelim budget at 4.2% with further cuts of $400K) but it allows them to do so, if necessary.
There was a great deal of discussion about the budget with graphs showing our projected expenditures and revenues and the ever growing gap between the two. Various scenarios show the gap in 2012 to be anywhere between -$2.2M and -$5+M. Mr. Maher said that there is "inherent risks" with projections specifically in revenue forcasting. The budget projections assume a 4% increase in assessed value and a 4.2% increae in real estate rate per year and should the economy "take a hit" this will undoubtedly affect revenue projections.
Ross hit the list of cuts presented. The one that generated alot of discussion was the senior citizens tax rebate program. Mr. Keller was very troubled by that particular proposed cut.
During the budget discussion, a comment was made by a community member that it seemed odd we were looking at cutting a few dollars here and there when we have a $58M dollar school in the budget that could probably be trimmed down in cost.
A statement was made by Ms. Rishcoff regarding the new 7-8 MS that the "Opening of the MS is a committed project".
(My editorial comment - It appears that we will get the new MS no matter what. At this point, we are probably too far down the road to get the board to consider alternatives such as a new K-6 elementary school that's been discussed here. That said, we just need to make sure that the whole project is meticulously planned. We don't want to see cost overruns or contingencies not previously anticipated).
That's all I have to supplement Ross's notes.
Was anything mentioned about the Calandra land?
40 people in attendance!!! god bless 'em. But there should have been twice, three times that many .
Not sure what grade Ms. DeRaymond's child is in, but my child is a junior at the high school and we have never paid more than $30-40 in class dues. She should probably call the high school and speak to one of the class advisors for an explanation of what the money is used for.
I think Ms. DeRaymond maybe figuring for the entire 4 years. It does however appear that the monies collected if over & above what is needed should be returned to the parent or forward to the senior class president to use for 1st class reunion, a "gift" to the district just doesn't seem right...
The board had no discussion regarding the land, and no one from the audience questioned it.
I thought given the land, budget, pool, building, there would have been more. Then again after three hours I could also see why there weren't;-)
The dues was an aggregate of the four years. She questioned why dues went up, who makes that determination, what money is used for, how it is recorded/accounted for, and what is done if it is not all used.
She raised the issue because the HS web site stated something to the effect any senior who is not paid in full will not graduate.
She thought forcing students to pay up or not graduate in light of taxes paid by parents wasn't right.
It was clarified that the NASD cannot withhold a diploma, but they can disallow a student from participating in graduation ceremonies or any other activity if the dues are not paid.
It was noted that the money is annually audited and by requirements can not be used for reunions or alumni functions it must be returned to the school, as such a 'class gift' is made with the balance. Most money was said to have been spent on the prom.
It would be interesting to see annually how much money is returned as a gift and as she points out with class sizes growing do they need to raise dues or could they be lowered? The annual return gift would give some indication. Then again, I've got quite a few years to worry about HS dues, I'm sure she'll follow-up.
Yes,Roxanne replies, examples of the past gifts with the monies left over were to used for walkways, replace clocks, put towards auditorium, and class of 06 I heard is purchasing a statue of an eagle. With 9th grade's 400+plus students and $100 over the 4 years adds up to $40,000+. However,I have been told parents still pay for prom tickets(reduced cost for all with with dues paid), flowers for grad and individual student grad photos from Stabler Arena grad ceremony, class trip etc. So are we paying out more but seem to get less? Plus there appears to be a large chunk of money that is left over to purchase a gift from the graduating class for the hs. I did email nasd and ask how and who figures how much dues should be. Is there a formula with exacts cost? And if a student does not want to go to the prom etc, what are the exact costs for one student to attend the ceremony at Stabler. The hs website states if you do not pay dues you cannot attend the prom, graduation ceremony, and will not receive your diploma. I asked Dr Lesky if legally you can withhold a diploma from a student who grades merit they pass. Dr. Lesky replied we cannot withhold the diploma and those words need to be removed from the hs webpage. Non due paying students will get their diploma in the mail. We do not mind paying the dues, just would like to know exactly were the $100 will go along with the other 400+ students. Anyway you look at it seems they are saying if you do not pay the $100, you cannot be part of the grad ceremony. There is fundraising also. Maybe some of the leftover money can go into an endowment fund, so those who truly cannot afford the dues and do not want to fundraise will still be able to be part of graduation because they worked to pass hs. We just would like to see some accountability and figures so we know exactly what we are paying for... consumer awareness...With class sizes growing how much money is left over to buy the hs these "senior gifts"? Who determines what the gift should be? Maybe they are overcharging dues if that much money is left in balance that cannot be returned or prom tickets or senior trip not fully covered.
I am confused why this is such a big mystery on where the dues are going. Seems to me this is just another example of "funny math" that the NASD finds itself Advanced in.
Reply from Roxanne ..board meeting statement was the dues go towards graduation cost, prom cost,( to help reduce ticket rate), not sure if senior trip was mentioned at the meeting and when asked Dr. Lesky mentioned dues balance goes towards gift to hs from that graduating class.i woonder if tha tis costing more than the prom discount and grad ceremony. We are just requesting to see a break down of these costs. How much does it cost to rent Stabler Arena, cost of prom restuarant even though one still has a "reduced fee" for the tickets. Our students at nasd work hard to get the grades so they can graduate and now, as it has been done in the past, to attend graduation the $100 dues must be paid during the next four years, fine. Just like to know how they come up with the dues 'figure" NASD hs requireS our students to pay, which will then allow them to graduate with other classmates.
What if you paid your dues and failed?
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