The Charter’s Implications

For School Budgeting

To the Editor:

First and foremost, the Board of Education would like to gratefully acknowledge the work of the Charter Revision Commission. Thank you for your integrity, courage, and determination in meeting this enormous challenge.

On October 10, 2001, our board met with two members of the Charter Revision Commission. The intent of the meeting was to ensure overall understanding of various changes and their potential impact. What became immediately evident is that an adjustment in budget time lines, which may have seemed almost insignificant, will, in fact, have substantial consequences. Specifically, two critical date changes are proposed: the first change mandates that our budget information be submitted for review four weeks sooner than what current practice dictates; the second change extends the date for budget finalization (which enables our spending) by one full month. The end result is a more protracted budget process with few measurable benefits.

Additional implications include:

* The Charter Revision Commission proposes changing the date for a townwide referendum from late April to late May, with extensions well into June if the initial budget details. This will have considerable impact on our hiring practices. Despite lower salaries, Newtown has been able to maintain a regional hiring advantage due, in part, to early recruitment strategies. With an additional month or more required for spending authorization, this important competitive advantage is eliminated.

* With regard to capital projects, current practice requires an already lengthy bid process with commensurate lead time before work can begin. Since most large projects must be done when school is not in session, prolonging the finalization of budgets could generate significant delays and compromise an already compressed work schedule.

In closing, the Board of Education regrettably cannot support the passage of the charter revisions as proposed. This decision in no way diminishes our respect for the extraordinary effort that the commission has put forth; we simply believe that these changes run counter to our mission of sustaining excellence in our educational system.

Sincerely,

Newtown Board of Education

Elaine McClure, Vincent Saviano, Margaret Hull

S. Earl Gordon, Sheila Stickles, Lisa Schwartz

4 Fairfield Circle South, Newtown    October 24, 2001