A Need For Better Financial Reporting

To the Editor:

More than two years ago I decided I would run for the Board of Education (BOE). In order to be fully prepared, I have attended nearly every BOE meeting for over two years. Additionally, I have attended most Legislative Council and Board of Finance meetings in which the agenda included BOE items. I have gained a greater understanding of how the BOE operates, what their charge is and how they interact with the other town boards and committees.

Mr Nanavaty misunderstood my comments in a recent Bee article. I do understand that Boards of Education operate under the Connecticut state statutes and that transferring money from one account to another is an allowable activity. I am certainly within my rights to ask questions about the financial workings of the school system. We are all taxpayers and deserve to know how our tax dollars are being spent.

I am not questioning the BOE’s ability to transfer money. I am questioning the clarity of the financial report. I want to understand the true cost of operating the schools. We should know whether there are some accounts consistently underfunded or in surplus. We should know how the surplus dollars are spent. We need to be as prepared as possible to make informed decisions about future budgets. With better planning and more information, we may even be able to do more with our dollars; this would benefit both the students and the taxpayers.

Sincerely,

Kathy Fetchick

18 Clapboard Ridge, Sandy Hook                  September 19, 2007