Candidate surveys and accurate budget information

Thanks to the Barnstable Patriot for starting thedotcommons.com. This is a web forum attempting to bring together all the candidate and election information for the upcoming local elections. Within the forum is a section that asks candidates to fill out a survey. The survey for school committee asks the standard questions for the most part.

However, there is one question that leads candidates to propose cuts in school services based upon an assumption of a shortfall for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009. What is remarkable about this question is the fact that the professional budget experts from our consolidated municipal/school finance department have never come out with any statements predicting or warning of a shortfall for FY 2008/2009.

My response to the question is it made a false assumption about local, state, federal revenue growth. We also all understand that decreasing student populations allow for a reduction in staff numbers. Over the past few years, we have done a good job of reducing staff by not hiring too many new folks even though there have been significant retirements.We are always conservative with our revenue estimates and have asked each site based program to take responsibility for living within their spending plan.

Municipal/School budgets and fiscal years are very complex and take a long time to officially close out. My sense is the close of FY 2006/2007 fiscal year by October 1st,2007 will provide us positive news. Let the data come out before making assumptions.

Although, we will not be able to do everything that everybody wants with our operating budgets over the next few years..like reducing or eliminating all fees, adding all desired positions, adding all the desired technology, etc.. we are on pace to support excellent schools and live within our budgets.

From an operating budget perspective we do have a good handle on things. I would suggest a better question is to begin a discussion of how the entire Town is going to pay for needed Capital improvements. What are we going to leave for the next generation of Barnstable citizens and school children? That is a question requiring lots of conversation.