Actually Ann, I believe in long range planning for financing. A good Financial person (and I believe the school district has some talented people) could take recent trends, idiosyncratic budget blowers that have occurred over the last ten years, coupled with Met Council growth predictions and make some pretty well qualified predictions on the growth or shrinkage rate for the district. Even if they are off in the long run by a few percentage points at least there is a target, plus the ammunition to bring a levy to the citizens.
Granted you will always have to make annual adjustments but I believe the budget reserve for the school board is consistent with the 5% (rule of thumb) of expenditures, which should cover all but a catastrophic expense. Even if the estimate is not 100% accurate, it will help on a number of fronts, legislative and public communication at least two I can think of at the moment. With that said, I want you to know that I have three children in SPPS schools and I am very happy with their education and 99% of the teachers I've experienced in the system.... Regards, Gerry McInerney Battle Creek ----- Original Message ----- From: Anne Carroll<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: 'John Harris'<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 11:28 AM Subject: [StPaul] Locking school budgets If anyone can tell me what students I'll be getting in the next 5 years, how much education they'll have received when they arrive (at age 5 or 15), whether they speak English at home, if they live in poverty, how many will show up at our door and when.......... And if anyone can tell me over the next 5 years the cost of living; the general state of the economy; how much employee health insurance will cost (wages and benefits for whom constitute 85% of the general fund); the cost of fuel for heat/lights/transportation as well as the average winter temperature (when the combination of high fuel costs and a cold winter can change our costs by millions of dollars); how much the state or feds choose to provide both on the general formula as well as for special education, English language learner instruction, compensatory education aid (for students in poverty), desegregation, etc., as well as just when those decisions might be made in relation to our legally mandated budget cycle (too often by the state Legislature by the end of their session, which leaves us just a few weeks before our July 1 deadline).... And if anyone can tell me for the next 5 years what state and federal rules and regulations will be promulgated and mandated -- but not funded -- with regard to testing, curriculum, standards, reporting, health, safety, etc....... And if anyone can tell me over the next 5 years what this community needs ALL students to know and be able to do when they graduate.... Then I just might be able to tell you how much public education will cost in St. Paul over the next few years. Children, and their arrival in St. Paul schools, are not remotely as easy to predict or model as the price of raw materials in a manufacturing plant, nor do we have the opportunity to establish our price based on what the market will bear and how much profit we wish to make. So until such time as all the other parameters are stable and predictable, we're tasked at the site and district level with handling the financing piece on an annual basis. What we can and do control, however, is a long-term educational commitment to our students, regardless of who they are and how/when/where they arrive at our door. The entire district is focused on students meeting OUR very highest standards, in a respectful and equitable learning environment, and with the opportunity to make meaningful connections that help them reach a future worth having. That's possible thanks to the tremendous work of highly educated and well-trained staff, great community volunteers, and the very best students and families in this country. As always, there's room for improvement, and for lots more involvement from families and community members on site-based decision-making councils, districtwide advisory committees, and in classrooms to help students (from reading with kindergarteners to helping seniors with their gratuation portfolios...and everything in between). Feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to get more involved. Thanks. -- Anne Carroll, St. Paul Board of Education ------------------------------------------------------------ Anne R. Carroll Carroll, Franck & Associates Public Involvement, Strategic Planning, Communications 1357 Highland Parkway St. Paul, MN 55116 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 651-690-9162 School Board: 651-690-9156 "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. "...You will be more credible and you will be more powerful if you do not separate the lives you live from the words you speak." -- Paul Wellstone "A politician worries about the next election. A true states[wo]man worries about the next generation, and children yet unborn." - e.e. cummings _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul<http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul> Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/<http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/> _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
