Please know that the meeting for students/faculty to get publuc input on the budget crisis and how to meet is has been changed to February 3!!! It was to be January 27, but needed to be changed. Hopefully you will know about this in more detail (from me!!!) when a specific time is posted. Thanks for caring!
Archive for January, 2005
Student Input Meeting Changes Date
January 27, 2005The Hard Work is Started
January 25, 2005On January 24 the Northfield School Board initiated a large-scale effort to gather community input into the task of cutting $2.9 million from the budget of the public schools. While it is easy to sit around and blame for this turn of events (a $4 million dollar budget surplus was here just a few years ago) we must face the reality of the present.
Superintendent Richardson has recommended a “Program Based Budgeting” reduction process. It seeks lots of input from the community, but let me summarize:
Steps 1-2: Budget Team at each building or major accounting group. Here 25-30 people (including parents and community representatives) gather to consider how to cut 10% from their budgets. HERE IS THE PLACE TO GET INVOLVED!! In Step 2 the recommendations are prioritized, so those items on the list can be brought back if there is a funding increase from the Minnesota Legislature.
Step 3: The Budget Review Committee for the district (30-35 people) from each team bring the various recommendations together and rank order the suggestions. The Superintendent and Board members are process observers only at this point.
Steps 4-5: Rank orders are forwarded to the Superintendent and Board for action.
Step 6: Final action of the Board. (March 28, 2005)
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