Finance Committee Looks for Savings, Still Looking
The Finance Committee of the Reorganization Planning Committee for RSU 18 met last night at Sedomocha School in Dover. It was a good meeting, interesting and informative, though it might not be entirely accurate to characterize it as productive!
We talked in particular about savings -- we tried to frame it as "opportunities and liabilities" -- to be realized in the areas of Instruction and System Administration. We worked at it earnestly, but didn't come up with big or obvious gains here. There may be some gains in larger-volume purchasing and there may be some gains through use of technology. Any possible gains are likely to be more than offset by demands for increased programs and services through State mandates and the necessity to offer equal services across the larger RSU.
Statewide, instruction, on average, uses about 43% of school budgets; system administration -- where all the cost savings of the reorganization scheme are to be found -- is about 4%. Beginning with the next school budget cycle, the State will halve the allocation for system administration. This 2% cut is intended to translate into tax relief. Lord help us!
This RSU discussion includes SAD 4 (Guilford) ,SAD 68 (Dover-Foxcroft), SAD 46, Harmony, and a number of smaller towns. Earlier -- at the beginning -- SAD 41 (Milo) had been part of this discussion, but they've withdrawn, in order to concentrate on their discussions with SAD 64 (Corinth). Greenville may well end up pursuing other options.
The next Finance Committee meeting is next Wednesday, the 24th, at 6:30 at Sedomocha. The larger group, the RSU RPC, will meet on November 1st at 6:30 at Sedomocha.
Meanwhile, SAD 46 continues its conversations with Corinth, and is opening up direct conversations with SAD 4, with at least two SAD 4 meetings scheduled before the next SAD 46 School Board Meeting, on November 7. We don't have the exact dates, times, and places for these meetings, or we'd post them here. You'll need to call the Superintendent at 924-5262 to ask for that information
All of these meetings are happening without any notice to SAD 46 citizens.
I guess that's par for the course, though definitely not a hole-in-one!
We talked in particular about savings -- we tried to frame it as "opportunities and liabilities" -- to be realized in the areas of Instruction and System Administration. We worked at it earnestly, but didn't come up with big or obvious gains here. There may be some gains in larger-volume purchasing and there may be some gains through use of technology. Any possible gains are likely to be more than offset by demands for increased programs and services through State mandates and the necessity to offer equal services across the larger RSU.
Statewide, instruction, on average, uses about 43% of school budgets; system administration -- where all the cost savings of the reorganization scheme are to be found -- is about 4%. Beginning with the next school budget cycle, the State will halve the allocation for system administration. This 2% cut is intended to translate into tax relief. Lord help us!
This RSU discussion includes SAD 4 (Guilford) ,SAD 68 (Dover-Foxcroft), SAD 46, Harmony, and a number of smaller towns. Earlier -- at the beginning -- SAD 41 (Milo) had been part of this discussion, but they've withdrawn, in order to concentrate on their discussions with SAD 64 (Corinth). Greenville may well end up pursuing other options.
The next Finance Committee meeting is next Wednesday, the 24th, at 6:30 at Sedomocha. The larger group, the RSU RPC, will meet on November 1st at 6:30 at Sedomocha.
Meanwhile, SAD 46 continues its conversations with Corinth, and is opening up direct conversations with SAD 4, with at least two SAD 4 meetings scheduled before the next SAD 46 School Board Meeting, on November 7. We don't have the exact dates, times, and places for these meetings, or we'd post them here. You'll need to call the Superintendent at 924-5262 to ask for that information
All of these meetings are happening without any notice to SAD 46 citizens.
I guess that's par for the course, though definitely not a hole-in-one!
posted by PP | 10/18/2007 12:05:00 PM
2 Comments:
At the top of your web page you say, "A collaboration of Art Jette, Mel Johnson, and the interested public since 1951."
What does the year 1951 refer to? It certainly can't be that you two have been doing this web page for 56 years!
How nice of you to notice, A.!
We added that "since 1951" a little while ago when we noticed that it had become fashionable in some local circles to add years to one's resume. "Backdating", if you will.
You agree, we hope, that a little humor brightens the day?
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