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How to put school board’s fiscal house in order
By BRUCE KIMMEL
It’s that time of year again. The various departments that comprise our municipal government are busy working on budget requests for the 2008-09 fiscal year. And, of course, that includes the Board of Education, whose budget makes up roughly 55 percent of the city’s total operating expenses. In order to avoid the acrimony and confusion that characterized last year’s budget debate, I would suggest the following:
The Board’s Finance Committee should begin meeting soon, and should continue meeting until the budget cycle is complete. At the initial meeting, Superintendent Corda could provide an overview of the budget situation; what circumstances have changed, what fiscal pressures need to be addressed, etc. It would also provide an opportunity for board members to express their concerns.
It would be helpful if a member of the Common Council attended the board’s Finance Committee meetings. Conversely, a member of the board might attend the council’s Finance Committee meetings. It is extremely important for both sides to appreciate the diverse needs confronting the city — from the numerous legal mandates and contractual obligations that the school board must fund, to the rising debt service, insurance, energy and infrastructure costs facing the city.
I would also strongly suggest that early on in the budget process, Tom Hamilton, the city’s Finance Director, attend a Board of Education Finance Committee meeting. Board members need to be sensitive to the city’s overall fiscal framework and what the city can and cannot afford. And Hamilton needs to have a comprehensive understanding of the fiscal pressures on the board.
Based on last year’s budget discussion, I believe the board’s Finance Committee, besides analyzing the superintendent’s budget proposals, should decide whether the upcoming budget should contain a formal contingency fund and whether the board should hire a full-time finance director. (Naturally, any decision by the committee would have to be approved by the full board.)
I firmly believe the board needs to hire a full-time finance director. Last year, Superintendent Corda was tied up for months with budget issues that could easily have been handled by a finance director. Having a full-time finance person would allow the superintendent to spend more time in the schools. Moreover, a full-time finance director, besides being in constant communication with the superintendent, would be able to work closely with the board’s Finance Committee, Hamilton and the mayor, as well as other city agencies.
In recent years, the board’s operating budget has not contained a formal contingency fund to address the problems and shortfalls that arise naturally in the course of a fiscal year. Not having such a line, yet still being able to find sufficient funds for these unforeseen developments, has led to the belief that the board’s budget is padded. Last year, the downward adjustment of “projections” during the reconciliation process reinforced this view.
Inclusion of a formal contingency fund in the budget would probably require adjustments in other budget lines or perhaps the elimination of some line items. But in the long run, having a contingency, with strict rules for withdrawals, would help restore creditability to the board with regard to fiscal matters.
For more than two years, I have privately and publicly argued that the several committees of the Board of Education, particularly its Finance Committee, should meet on a regularly scheduled, monthly basis. I still do not know for sure how board members feel about this proposal. I assume the majority is against it because, in their view, a vibrant committee system would lead to micromanagement of the superintendent and his deputies. Obviously, I don’t subscribe to such a view.
I believe that monthly committee meetings would enable board members to acquire the kind of detailed knowledge of the school system, especially its finances, that the public expects of them. Plus, regular committee meetings would provide the public ample opportunities to become better informed about educational and fiscal issues.
Last year, the board’s Finance Committee did not meet once during the initial phase of the budget process; thus, the full board voted for the superintendent’s budget request without that request being examined in detail by the committee. I certainly hope that is not the case this year.
Bruce Kimmel is a member of the Norwalk Board of Education and is a former president of the city’s Common Council.
