This year's School Budget (FY05) keeps getting posted at $37,480,407 yet the finance committee's book shows additional costs and outside funds increasing that amount to run the schools for this budget year of another $7,438,634. A total budget for this year should reflect $45,858,379. We can add to that sum an additional $700,000 in school building repairs (under the bond issue of $1.4 we voted last Fall) plus an additional $532,300 we included in the funded capital costs voted under Article 5 last Fall and their total budget this year of our dollars amounted to: $47,090,679! Let's be realistic, people. Our Schools have drained the well almost dry with well over 50% of our available funds we voted this year going to the Schools. Let's at least be candid and use the correct resources sum - $47,090,679. If we have (rounded off) 5000 pupils in our public school system, a per pupil cost to educate our kids amounts to a whopping $9,418.14, not the $6600 used by the school department. Let's analyze these figures further:
In FY95, ten budgets ago, my finance committee books gives the following figures in comparison for that year expended monies: Budget - $26,185,798. Add to that the sum of $4,279,382 of other ''additional town expenditures for shcools (insurance, field maintenance, snow removal, town administrative expenses, medicare/social security, group health, worker's compensation, retirement costs)and that totals $30,465,180 for FY95. Add to that sum the amount of $338,770 for capital monies appropriated in FY95 for school repairs and equipment outlay and the total amounts to $30,803,950. A similar student enrollment of let's say 4800 pupils in FY95 and we get a per pupil cost that year of about $6417/pupil.
We've increased our school budget over the past ten years by $16,286,729 or a per year increase of $1.628million each year for the past ten years. Their budget over the past ten budget years has increased by 53% or again, an annual average of 5.3% each and every year over the past ten years!!!!!
No wonder why we have 23 large school buses and 13 mini school buses in the bus yard on Adams Street. If we bussed 2/3 of our student population to and from school each day at $100/student/school year, we'd raise close to $350,000 each year instead of paying through the budget this cost?
That's one way to save or slice the school budget if they want to pay for this exhorbitant 1 + 3 teacher contract. Charge the kids to ride the bus K-12 @ $100/pupil!
By TMM6
In FY95, ten budgets ago, my finance committee books gives the following figures in comparison for that year expended monies: Budget - $26,185,798. Add to that the sum of $4,279,382 of other ''additional town expenditures for shcools (insurance, field maintenance, snow removal, town administrative expenses, medicare/social security, group health, worker's compensation, retirement costs)and that totals $30,465,180 for FY95. Add to that sum the amount of $338,770 for capital monies appropriated in FY95 for school repairs and equipment outlay and the total amounts to $30,803,950. A similar student enrollment of let's say 4800 pupils in FY95 and we get a per pupil cost that year of about $6417/pupil.
We've increased our school budget over the past ten years by $16,286,729 or a per year increase of $1.628million each year for the past ten years. Their budget over the past ten budget years has increased by 53% or again, an annual average of 5.3% each and every year over the past ten years!!!!!
No wonder why we have 23 large school buses and 13 mini school buses in the bus yard on Adams Street. If we bussed 2/3 of our student population to and from school each day at $100/student/school year, we'd raise close to $350,000 each year instead of paying through the budget this cost?
That's one way to save or slice the school budget if they want to pay for this exhorbitant 1 + 3 teacher contract. Charge the kids to ride the bus K-12 @ $100/pupil!
By TMM6
