School Board Continues Examination Of Its Transfer Policy

By Eliza Hallabeck

The Board of Education handed its transfer policy revision back to its Policy Subcommittee following discussion on possible changes to the policy on Tuesday, April 12.

“What I am trying to do with this policy is make it consistent with a working policy,” said school board Secretary and Policy Subcommittee Chair Andrew Buzzi.

Mr Buzzi said he “really looked into the sentence that was giving us trouble,” since the Tuesday, April 5, Board of Education meeting when the transfer policy first came up for discussion.

As the school board’s Policy Subcommittee chair, Mr Buzzi presented his subcommittee’s findings during the board’s previous meeting after reviewing the board’s “Budget Transfer Policy 3-202.”

How the school board reports transfers was last discussed by the board in February, when it approved its revised FY 2009-10 Year-End Financial Report, following an audit report by Kostin, Ruffkess & Company, LLC. At the February 18 meeting Joseph Centofanti, a partner with the auditing firm, explained recommendations that the school board modify its policy on budget transfers to bring it into compliance with state statutes.

During the last meeting, Mr Buzzi suggested the school board add to the policy that any object code that could result in a negative balance be preceded by a motion. School board member Debbie Leidlein asked whether a percentage or a dollar amount would be better to specify the cost of transfers that come before the school board.

After reviewing the policy with the school board’s proposals in mind for the April 12 meeting, Mr Buzzi suggested sending the policy back to the subcommittee for further investigation.

“As long as you read these words very carefully, then I think it works,” said Board of Ed Chair William Hart.

Before the school board’s next meeting, Mr Buzzi said he would send the transfer policy, with the board’s proposed alterations, to each member by e-mail for review.

Mr Hart reminded Mr Buzzi the school board members would not be allowed to respond to the e-mails until in a public meeting again.

The school board’s next meeting is scheduled for May 3.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the district’s Director of Business Ron Bienkowski delivered his monthly financial report for the month of March.

“We are unable at this point to transfer money to all of the negative anticipated accounts, because we don’t have the balance of the Excess Cost Grant,” said Mr Bienkowski.

He noted the budget is extremely tight, and, according to his prepared budget summary report, the only line item that indicates a projected negative balance in the main object category includes tuition and transportation.

Those projected balances would be clear with the arrival of the state reimbursed Excess Cost Grant toward some special education costs, he said. The arrival date for the grant is unknown.

During her Superintendent’s Report to the school board, Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson shared news regarding a possible regional calendar with surrounding area towns by the school year 2012-13.

“The superintendents have been trying to work on this,” said Dr Robinson, “and we all gave input in. Danbury has taken all of our calendars and tried to hash together a common calendar, and now this week we are looking at the feedback.”

Having a regional calendar, Dr Robinson said, would make it easier to coordinate professional development, provide possible savings in transportation costs, and be more economical overall.

Board member Keith Alexander asked whether a regional calendar would mean more snow days for Newtown.

Responding, Dr Robinson said most of the time the local towns agree on snow days to begin with.

“What happens on occasion are local conditions based on who got their snow removal crews out and when,” the superintendent said. 

Dr Robinson also said the school district is working to revamp its website to make it more accessible for parents with less differences between individual schools.

Board member Lillian Bittman, who has been working with the website initiative, told the school board to be ready for websites with color themes based on the school colors of each school.