Hey Now!
The Budget fighting is all over and enough time has passed for all to settle down. And just enough time has gone by so we can take a look back and learn from the past. That may point us to better directions in the near future. Stick with me a while on this post - it may go where you want to go!Now we know some voters compromised their activities by ignoring their legitimate concerns about the very questionable "Key Salary" figures provided by the District.
While others wanted answers about why the 2004/5 year's actual spending numbers were illegally changed in February - spending that was increased by
$620,000 (well over the first rejected budget amount)
Where did the money come from? Into which account did it go? Who authorized it? There's no mention of BOE approval in any of the minutes!Many voters set aside those issues so as to not impact the getting of a YES vote. Now that we have gotten a YES vote - it is time to press for answers to these "quiet questions". And some of the press should come from the many that were served well by the self imposed quietness of those during the critical YES time period. This current period could be used to answer many remaining critical questions.For instance, salaries - just what are they? The Lame Duck BOE gave out many high level raises recently. Just how much were they and who got them? Why not publish that required budget salary chart now - with fresh figures that are actuals? Why hide it? Just how much effort would it really take to inform the public and set the issue to rest?
And we know that Richman's contract was renewed with a raise - but for how much? And what did that bonus come to in dollars and cents? Was it paid in "cash-up-front" as in other year's? Where was that money listed on the Budget?
I'll bet the Bonus and Raise came to as much money as what is claimed (but not proved) that the Library owes as "TAN interest"! Why isn't there a Halla-Balloo about that amount of money that goes right into Richman's pocket?[/i]
And the Consulting contract planned to be let to him at year's end - Was it negotiated or put out to bid as required under law? How much money will he be paid? Just what will he do for us for that money and how will his performance be measured as to completing the job? Is he just putting in time for Dollars? For how long will the contract be?
Who knows,
maybe Jeff Burns would underbid the job! ;D
Did he also get the
$20,000 a year tax deferred annuity again this year? What is his entire salary, car allowance, expenses and all other charges to the District for this year.
Remember those
$10,000 in credit card bills, gas allowances, etc. that were not able to be fully accounted for when Hevesi did his last audit? After all, we are paying the Bills, we have a right to know how much he's has been costing us.
As to looking back to find out where we've come to. I found the following comparison to last year's Contingency Budget Spending and this year's Budget very interesting.
Budget Part____________Contingency__________This Year
Administration____________$10.00_______________$10.01
Programs_________________$70.50_______________$70.20
Capital____________________$19.50_______________$19.80
Total_____________________$100.00______________$100.01
So the trend is upward yet on the Capital and Administration parts of the Budget and Downward on the Children's part of the Budget. The trend is slight, but it is not in the Direction we all seemed to want to go.
________________ Looking to where we wanted to go! ________________
What would be the trend line if we blindly continued to follow this year's "action lines" in the BOE's agenda?Topping off all the the meetings you have attended - just what has been the focus of activity we talk about at BOE meetings so far this year?
For the Deaf & Dumb among us - it has been on Property exchanges, potential Bond issues, etc. Buildings, buildings, buildings!
Meanwhile, there has been activities authorizing and paying for studies and plans needed to make those things happen. The Blueprints on the back wall in the meeting room most likely have a
$60,000 to
$70,000 fee attached to them. The "repairs" (soffitts, doors and now Track) which should have been done long ago under regular annual maintenance, now will have a total tab of
$200,000.
All of these costs are added to the Capital portion of the Budget, not the Childrens' portion![/i]
Then there is the "locker room" at about
$1.4 Million fix up. It is NOT used for Instructional Purposes, so the money can't come from EXCEL funding - only from our own pockets!
If you look in the recent Newspaper article about Plainedge's impending Bond issue, and not listen to the "no cost" stories told by the Administration, you will find the Bond issue for
$1.5 Million is about to be put in front of you. All told, I can see at least
$3 Million worth of Capital Projects that will be planned to be funded by this District before the next Budget.
That amount, when added to the Capital portion of the Budget brings it to
$15,564,832. This revises the above chart this way:
Budget Part____________Contingency__________This Year
Administration____________$10.00_______________$ 9.61
Programs_________________$70.50_______________$67.01
Capital____________________$19.50_______________$23.39
Total_____________________$100.00______________$100.01
This shows that present planning activities are all directed towards sharply driving down the Dollar spent on the Children and significantly driving up the Dollars that are being put into the hands of the Bankers and the Brokers.[/i]
Even the "New BOE" is being herded and headed into the wrong direction!
More money for the Brokers,
less money for the Children![/b]
One need not look far beyond the Bonds issue to find other Capital portions of the Budget that cut total Tax money from the Children - simply turn to what what interest money was set aside for TAN costs for the entire District - - -
$495,000!
FYI: Being well past TAN proposal time for the District and well past the time that TAN costs were negotiated, agreed upon, signed and obtained for by the District - they know that all the TAN money was not let out at the estimated
4.5% interest rate!
They now have the actual interest figures! They have known them since July. Some rates are in the
3.8% range.
Now the big question is: Although the District knew the total TAN bill in July, did they set the tax levy in August based upon the
$495,000 estimated interest charges - - - or did they adjust it to reflect the actual interest charges? That's has a quick and easy answer. Will it be on the next Agenda?
Incidentally, just what are the interest charges the Administration has already agreed to pay the Brokers? Just what will be the residual amount of money left in that account, if any? Where will it go? What will it be used for? Will it be added to last year's $62,700 left over? Being in Capital portion of the Budget, we know none of that money can go to the Children (
as some BOE members still don't understand about TAN interest)[/i], so where is it going to hang out? Why can't it do "Soffitts and Doors? Why can't it do Track Repairs?, etc.,etc.,etc.
Why do we have to add these items to Bond or EXCEL Funding issues when there will be enough funds left in some Capital accounts to pay, or partially pay, for these "repairs"? Wasn't the last Construction Bond overage (quoted as about
$1 Million) supposed to pay for these very same items? Why weren't they done? Where did the Dollars go if these things were not fixed?
Oy Veh! Such questions the Capital portion of the Budget leaves unanswered!
Questions such as these should be put on the coming Agendas and be entered on the Minutes of the meetings (not in summary verbal reports lacking details) so that answers and statements of fact can go into the public record of where our dollars are actually being spent (if they are spent at all) and we can enjoy closure on some very important questions.We've got along hard path in front of us - and it will take as much concerted effort as was exerted to bring out a YES vote to keep this "New BOE" on the path that the District wants it to follow - - - The money must go to the Children!!! Stop planning to spend it in Capital accounts and get the efforts and focus back on the Programs part of the spending! To hell with new Capital projects, put them off for a year! Put the Children first for a change!
Focus Agendas on Children - not buildings! We've had a belly full of buildings in the last few years! Get back to kids and their programs! Get back to what School business should be all about![/i]
The YES vote goal for next year should be a Budget that has more than 70 cents on the dollar going to Programs. Let's set an arbitrary goal of taking a nickle away from the Bankers and putting it in the Childrens' programs! 75 cents on the Dollar to Programs! Can we do it?
Ed. - This is an opinion piece - loaded with facts and a suggested path for action, especially by those that already got their YES vote.