BAC Meeting Tuesday 02-15 8PM...

[Chris_Wendt]

...in the High School Cafeteria.

Athletic Director's budget presentation...

Q&A

Updated Preliminary Budget

More Q&A

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When we left the BAC last week, we had a 'good start' draft budget, under 3%. But that under 3% translates to a $2 Million spending increase, at a time when the District is staring down a $2 Million decrease in Revenue.

Meanwhile, our new Governor is saying, "Wait! Look at your reserves! You HAVE the money!"

Meanwhile, the Administrators of 124 LI School Districts are crying, "But, but, but...we simply CAN NOT USE OUR RESERVES! What if we have a 'rainy day', or want to give ourselves raises or something? And what do we do NEXT YEAR???"

Meanwhile, 124 LI school boards are telling their Administrators, "CUT! CUT! CUT!" while saying to their unions. "No raises! What part of 'No' 'Raises' do you not comprehend?"

Meanwhile, some parents are wondering, "When are we getting Full-day Kindergarten in Wantagh, you know, like the other 92% of school districts in NY State have? Like Seaford has?"

Meanwhile, Ann Marie is counting noses in her class pictures on St. Ritas website. Very cute they all were, and 30 wasn't so bad after all. I know 31 worked, here, in St. Frances de Chantal, but Mother Superior really knew how to use those drumsticks to restore order if anyone stepped out of line, or, went running around at lunchtime playimg Ring-a-Levio. And nobody was allergic to peanuts back then, either. Good thing, too, because PB&J was like, a staple for lunch. I mean, you couldn't trade sandwiches with anybody, because what were you going to get for your PB&J...a PB&J on whole wheat?

The nuns did all show up in the auditorium together, but never once wore gray shirts, or any other color shirt. Black-and-white, it was a habit, with those distinctive shoes, aptly named, 'nun's shoes'. They taught me a lot, and I learned a lot from those nuns. bless them for putting up with me!

Waxing nostalgic, you should do that once in a while, especially in turbulent times. Helps keep you grounded in what is real.

Keeping it real,

Chris Wendt
SFdeC '61

[Chris_Wendt]

Okay, the meeting was well attended and the Athletic Director's presentation was well received. Representing only 1% of the overall budget, and with costs contained in a narrow range over the past several years, the PE/Sports budgets look fine.

Then we have the revised or second draft budget. More good work was evident as (in round numbers) half a million dollars of additional cuts were made and the budget-budget increase was reduced from 2.87% to 2.24%. The lion's share of the additional cuts result from the implementation of the newly adopted class-size guidelines, collapsing sections in 4th and 5th grades in two schools, excessing four ( 4) teaching positions.

There was a palpable 'sting' to hearing this news, although the necessity for taking the action was not challenged.

BoE President Jean Quinn advised the BAC that this draft budget is still a "work in progress" implying that additional measures are under study to further mitigate the impending loss of revenue which the district is facing.

Bottom line:

• Revenue DOWN $2.0 million
• Spending UP $1.5 Million
• Potential Tax Impact = UP an untenable +$3.5 million

(Untenable = incapable of being defended or sustained)

Now coming to a rolling boil on the front burner:

#1 Further cuts to the draft budget, and these need to be decisive, and, unfortunately they will be painful for the most part. Some cuts may be to expense codes regarded as "sacred cows". There are no sacred cows in a crisis.

Now simmering on the back burners:

#2 Can you say "CONSOLIDATION"? Go ahead, try saying the word. "Con·sol·i·da·tion". See, it doesn't hurt, just saying it. Now, why don't we start talking about it? Like, now?

#3 Allocated Fund Balance. This topic gets its own thread, here, soon; so put your thinking caps on about it.

Stay tuned, as they used to say, back when you could rotate a dial and tune-in to different stations or channels. "Don't touch that dial!"

Old-schooled,

Chris Wendt

[cathy]

I wasn't able to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment and have been hearing conflicting information. Did they say that closing Mandalay or moving to a Princeton system were still possibilities, or were those topics not touched at all? I've heard both and am just trying to figure out which rumors are true.

[WantaghConcernedCitizens]

neither were mentioned, but are currently under consideration for long term cost saving strategies.

[lilly]

It probably stems from this letter. Read the Statement to Community Regarding Teacher Negotiations link here:

www.wantaghschools.org/18401010522131707/site/default.asp

The rumor mill is in full gear with closing Mandalay. I thought it was clearly squashed and clarified at last week's BAC. Then yesterday, I got another phone call saying "Did you hear they are closing Mandalay?". Seriously, the phone calls and email chains were quicker than wildfire and still persist despite the clarification.

You had a question about SCOPE being positioned as full-day Kindergarten. The Mandalay parents, who said it was primarily childcare were right. If someone tried to sell me an extended afterschool program by virtue of having a certified early education teacher present as Wantagh's answer to full day Kindergarten, I'd be ticked. Full day Kindergarten it is not. And I'd be po'd if Wantagh was positioning this parent-paid program as full-day K in a public school district.