SHARON — In a special meeting immediately following the public hearing on the proposed budgets submitted by the boards of selectmen and education, held on Friday, April 28, the Board of Finance voted to send the budget proposals to a town meeting and vote Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m.
The budget submitted by the Board of Selectmen received minimal discussion from the Board of Finance, mostly points of clarification covered at the public hearing, and was unanimously approved to go to town meeting.
The selectmen’s town operating budget proposes total town expenditures of $4,722,669, an increase of $317,878 over the current year, or 7.21%.
The budget submitted by the Board of Education proposes total Sharon Center School expenditures of $4,514,327, an increase of $1,756 over the current year, or 0.04%.
Board of Education chairman Doug Cahill explained at the public hearing that the $1,756 was necessary to satisfy the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR). According to the state website, “The Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR) prohibits districts from budgeting less for education than the previous year. There are exceptions where a district can reduce their appropriation such as a decrease in enrollment, a decrease in Education Cost Sharing (ECS) aid, a closure of a school or increased efficiencies which need to be approved by the commissioner of education.”
By depositing the $1,756 in the school’s capital account, the funds are likely to be returned to the town as unspent surplus at the end of the year, Cahill said.
Responding to residents’ confusion about the state’s MBR and how the elaborate formula relates to the local education budget, the Board of Finance spent considerable deliberative energy on that point, trying to understand how the MBR might be lowered through cost savings at Sharon Center School without compromising quality of education.
Recent finance board meetings have engaged in lengthy debate about the MBR, focusing on what opportunities might exist for school expense savings to reduce the amount mandated by the MBR formula.
Board of Finance member Cody O’Kelly led the discussion at times, indicating that the local Board of Education has not sought to lower its MBR by sending a request letter to the state education department. Such a letter would need to list what are called “efficiency savings” as defined by the MBR regulations. If those efficiency savings are paired with demonstrated enrollment decline over time, the MBR could be reduced, O’Kelly maintained.
At first, O’Kelly favored withholding Board of Finance approval from the proposed Board of Education budget, but a compromise suggested by finance board member Jessica Fowler brought the finance board to agreement.
Favoring the compromise position, the finance board voted unanimously to approve the Board of Education’s proposed budget so that both the town and the education budget could be given required public notice and be presented together at the town meeting May 12.
The approval, however, is bound by a stipulation. Board of Finance chairman Tom Bartram needs to notify Cahill that the finance board must receive a letter of intent from Cahill. Cahill’s letter of intent needs to specify that the Board of Education will send a letter to the state Department of Education formally requesting an MBR reduction based on a list of “efficiency savings.”
In addition to these moves, the Board of Finance proposes a meeting in coming months with key administrators as a means of understanding the MBR requirements, expecting to create a tighter, lower budget for the next cycle.
The finance board decision goes on to warn that if their required letter of intent is not received in advance of the Town Meeting date, then the Board of Finance is likely to rescind its conditional approval of the Board of Education’s budget.
During finance board discussion, Bartram had expressed his concerns about the action, saying that while he appreciated the ideas put forth to find savings, or to change the budget process, he felt the time was too short before the Town Meeting was to be held.
“We’re going to have to keep pushing,” Fowler said.
As a near term next step in implementing the expected letter of intent, O’Kelly suggested a meeting to include the Board of Finance, Sharon Center School Principal Carol Tomkalski, Board of Education chairman Cahill, Region One Superintendent Lisa Carter, and Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick.
The public hearing held earlier in the evening had drawn a capacity audience to the Town Hall meeting room to hear an overview of both proposed budgets. Retired Region One Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain served as moderator for the hearing.
Reviewing the Board of Education budget, Cahill praised the recently implemented marketing initiative designed to attract more students to Sharon Center School, and he cited increasing enrollment numbers as a direct effect.
Near the close of the public hearing, First Selectman Brent Colley spoke of the annual budget process as being a community effort of many facets.
“We do this together,” Colley said.
