SAD 4 leadership still not ‘getting it’

To the Editor:

SAD 4 had its most recent district budget meeting last Wednesday.  In summary, the budget was passed once again, despite the resounding previous defeat of 75% opposition at the last budget validation referendum a month ago. The public once again did not turn out to be heard and to vote.  There were only 77 registered voters present including a substantial number of school board members and resident district employees.  The passage of the articles was close in numbers each time and the number of favorably-inclined voters was unsurprisingly close to the number of board members and employees present.

The superintendent was vague in many of her answers and often deferred to the relatively-new financial manager.  Additionally the superintendent expounded in her earlier formal presentation on the budget process as she claims takes place in the district.  While the process explanation was commendable, it does not accurately represent what really happens now or in the past in the district.

Essentially the only changes that had occurred in reducing the budget from the first one was the inclusion of the additional money from the state, once that number was secure; the reduction of one newly-created teaching position that had never been filled;  and the elimination of this year’s summer school, leaving needy students in the lurch.  I attended the two meetings of the financial subcommittee prior to the rolling out of this second effort, and can attest confidently that the committee never looked at one other thing to try to reduce the vast increases to the taxpayers. The most startling revelation of the evening for me was the announcement by the new financial director that, when she started employment last March, the district had no fund balance left, when the previous administration had reported large fund balances in the past. So far as I know the previous years’ boards were never told the real status of the fund balance.  Given that the superintendent had just lectured the electorate about how the board “trusted” the sub-committees to make decisions which they all supported based on this “trust”, the disappearance in the past here of the ample fund balance would be one large and serious reason to amend “trust” to “trust, but verify”! Once again the need for the entire board to pay close and accurate attention to the system’s finances would appear to be of paramount importance.

I am a superintendent of schools and a 100 percent advocate of public education, but the real issue here is the dismissive arrogance of the school committee and its obvious failure to do its homework.  I would not advocate turning down the budget … if the additional money were in fact being wisely used to enhance the education of the children, but such is clearly not the case here. It is a case of sloppy budget building and a total inattention to the magnitude of the increases in the town assessments, about which a citizen last night made a heart-felt plea for taxpayer relief. It is about a failure by the administration and the school committee to do the legally required work which they have been hired or elected to do in a better way.

Go to the polls on July 29, 2015, and vote “no.”  The school committee and administration still haven’t “gotten it”!

Ann Bridge

Parkman