Date: 12/05/2005
Subject: Discussion of Recommended FY07 School Operating and Capital Budget
Having fulfilled the Finance Committee's request of developing a plan to reduce the FY07 level services
budget by 8%
(narrative),
the School Committee turned its attention to preparing the FY07 operating and capital budgets
that it expects to recommend to the Finance Committee in late January or early February.
The Superintendent will be presenting the committee with his operating budget recommendation on January 9th.
At the committee's meeting on December 5th, the committee augmented its
budget guidelines
with a set of
considerations for the Superintendent to take into account. Those considerations consisted of the following.
- Preserve the current program through appropriately balancing academics and extracurricular activities.
- Apply cost savings and fee increases, the latter including lunches, buses, and extracurricular activities.
- Increase class sizes up to the policy, with allowance for redistricting, exceeding the policy where a small
increase is merited by cost savings.
- Consider adopting the Choice program that allow Wayland to accept students from other schools in targeted grades,
understanding that the $5,000 per student that Choice generates comes with the obligation to educate those students
through graduation.
At the December 5th meeting, the committee also discussed capital budget items.
While there are many needs around the district, the committee centered its likely request on four items.
- Technology (hardware, software, and infrastructure)
- General building maintenance
- Maintenance at the High School directed at needs identified by the NEASC accreditation report
- Completion of the roof replacement at the Happy Hollow Elementary School
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