BOE Counters Joint Meeting Request With Invitation To Regular Session

After sending two letters to the Board of Education asking for a joint meeting to speak with members about the latest high school expansion proposal and the school district’s year-end transfers, the school board countered by inviting Board of Finance members to its August 15 regular meeting, presumably to provide a forum in which its members may ask their questions.

Since he is planning to be away, Finance Board Chairman John Kortze offered to provide a list of questions he has for the school board. The issue was discussed at length during the Board of Finance’s last meeting.

“I think at some point there should be a better understanding and public discussion of year-end transfers by the Board of Education for obvious reasons,” Mr Kortze said.

School Board Chair Elaine McClure acknowledged that her board preferred to address finance board questions during next Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, rather than put off the questions until such a time when a joint meeting might be scheduled. She also said any questions posed during the school board meeting on August 15 would be answered, or answers would be provided as quickly as possible following the meeting.

“We are always willing to entertain a dialogue with members of the Board of Finance,” she said.

Finance board members Michael Portnoy and John Torok said they would attend the school board meeting. Mr Torok, who formerly held the position of school district business director, asked if the school board would issue year-end copies of the district’s financial reports in advance of next Tuesday’s meeting.

Mr Kortze said the school board has produced an accessible list of more than $900,000 in transfers the district has either proposed or approved. Newtown Finance Director Ben Spragg clarified that transfers made in the last fiscal year from surplus funds to cover items that were cut from the 2006-2007 budget were already approved.

“The items they said they would do this year instead of turning money back to the town…they passed those transfers,” Mr Spragg said.

Mr Kortze said he spoke with Ms McClure about his concerns over the $900,000 in cuts that were funded by found money in the last few weeks of the fiscal year.

“My main issue is there were more than $900,000 in cuts; there’s an awful lot of money that came from the existing year’s budget; there’s an awful lot of money that came from revenue that showed up,” Mr Kortze said.

“There are some direct differences between what were explained during the public hearing where we asked questions about insurance. There [are] some direct differences between what we were told that evening and what eventually transpired,” he said, referring to explanations made during a finance board public hearing earlier in the year. “For the record, I think it’s safe to assume there is a good explanation ... I’m trusting that there is.”

Mr Kortze said he believes during the budget referendum, the public votes to endorse a spending plan. “If  you look at what occurred, at the transfers [made after the referendum] the level of spending was reduced minimally at best. I’m not sure that’s what the taxpayer expects when they vote a budget down,” he said. “Those dollar amounts, the found money … by my math, the couple hundred thousand dollars. Those items where money came from in the current budget, I’m wondering where those budget items will start next year.

“Will they start at the level that was presented or will they start at the reduced level? There are the questions I want to be sure we understand as we go into the next budget year,” he added.

Mr Torok then pointed out that the June transfers already exceeded $200,000. To that, finance board co-chairman James Gaston asked, “Is there still fourth grade orchestra — do they still pay to play?”