From the BCCT:
Holding the line: Tech school should follow Morrisville's lead
Bucks County Courier Times
It is not uncommon to read about school boards in Bucks County struggling with school budgets - and the pressure of operating schools efficiently, keeping up with rising costs, honoring their contractual agreements, and providing quality education, while keeping taxes low. It is a story repeated often on the pages of the local newspapers.
I am very proud to report that the Morrisville School District is not one of those stories. We have stayed on track this year with the approval of the final 2010-2011 school budget without a tax increase, marking the third consecutive year we have not raised taxes. In the two prior years we reduced taxes. And we are pleased to say that we will maintain a good educational program despite an $18.3 million budget, which proposes to spend $84,500 less than this year's spending plan.
Are we unusual? Yes, we are a small district with little commerce and industry to provide revenue. Our operating budget is funded in large part by property owners, small businesses, senior citizens and young families struggling to make ends meet.
The elected school board sets the direction for the business office and the administration when it comes to budgetary matters and, I believe, that is the way it should be. We take on an important obligation when we decide to run for office. In Morrisville, everyone works hard to manage taxpayers' money wisely; but it is not always an easy road in light of outside pressures involving state mandates, state funding and myriad other financial obligations.
As board president, I am proud to say no service or program has been adversely affected as we strive to make Morrisville School District operations more efficient. The goal of the school board is to provide the best possible educational services at a cost that is affordable to the people of our district.
We know other school districts in our area are struggling to reach the same goals. Yet, as we approve one budget now, we are looking ahead to the 2012-2013 fiscal year, which presents a significant challenge because of two major issues: First, the huge pension contribution that will be required to fund upcoming (generous) teachers' pensions and secondly, the present teachers' contract that expires on Aug. 31, 2012. Therefore, the board's effort in the next two years is directed toward making our school district run as efficiently as possible.
In achieving a zero-tax increase this year, we point out that we filled a gap between expenses and revenue with $250,000 from last year's fund balance. However, we continue to look at all areas in which we can reduce costs going forward, without affecting the quality of education in our school district.
Our first obligation, as money managers, is to the taxpayers of Morrisville. We have a mandate to spend their money wisely in providing the best education we can in the best facilities we can afford and prepare our children to go out into the world as educated, productive citizens.
As a certified public accountant, I look at the budgetary pressures we face and see that they are not unlike the financial pressures the average family faces in this economy, including inflation and rising costs. On the other hand, there are many more uncontrollable factors that put pressure on the Morrisville school budget and also the budgets of other public entities, such as, contractual salary and benefit obligations, increased health care costs and increases in the employees' retirement system. We also have associated costs involving transportation services for special education and technical school students, special education placement in cyber and charter school enrollments, and now an additional assessment of $239,726 from the Bucks County Technical High School as Morrisville's share for the students we send to the technical school.
This debate goes on because the Morrisville school board believes the new cost is disproportionate and, therefore, unfair. We are refusing to pay it until the technical school board comes up with a budget of its own that is more realistic in this economy and certainly more equitable in our case.
Holding the line: Tech school should follow Morrisville's lead
Bucks County Courier Times
It is not uncommon to read about school boards in Bucks County struggling with school budgets - and the pressure of operating schools efficiently, keeping up with rising costs, honoring their contractual agreements, and providing quality education, while keeping taxes low. It is a story repeated often on the pages of the local newspapers.
I am very proud to report that the Morrisville School District is not one of those stories. We have stayed on track this year with the approval of the final 2010-2011 school budget without a tax increase, marking the third consecutive year we have not raised taxes. In the two prior years we reduced taxes. And we are pleased to say that we will maintain a good educational program despite an $18.3 million budget, which proposes to spend $84,500 less than this year's spending plan.
Are we unusual? Yes, we are a small district with little commerce and industry to provide revenue. Our operating budget is funded in large part by property owners, small businesses, senior citizens and young families struggling to make ends meet.
The elected school board sets the direction for the business office and the administration when it comes to budgetary matters and, I believe, that is the way it should be. We take on an important obligation when we decide to run for office. In Morrisville, everyone works hard to manage taxpayers' money wisely; but it is not always an easy road in light of outside pressures involving state mandates, state funding and myriad other financial obligations.
As board president, I am proud to say no service or program has been adversely affected as we strive to make Morrisville School District operations more efficient. The goal of the school board is to provide the best possible educational services at a cost that is affordable to the people of our district.
We know other school districts in our area are struggling to reach the same goals. Yet, as we approve one budget now, we are looking ahead to the 2012-2013 fiscal year, which presents a significant challenge because of two major issues: First, the huge pension contribution that will be required to fund upcoming (generous) teachers' pensions and secondly, the present teachers' contract that expires on Aug. 31, 2012. Therefore, the board's effort in the next two years is directed toward making our school district run as efficiently as possible.
In achieving a zero-tax increase this year, we point out that we filled a gap between expenses and revenue with $250,000 from last year's fund balance. However, we continue to look at all areas in which we can reduce costs going forward, without affecting the quality of education in our school district.
Our first obligation, as money managers, is to the taxpayers of Morrisville. We have a mandate to spend their money wisely in providing the best education we can in the best facilities we can afford and prepare our children to go out into the world as educated, productive citizens.
As a certified public accountant, I look at the budgetary pressures we face and see that they are not unlike the financial pressures the average family faces in this economy, including inflation and rising costs. On the other hand, there are many more uncontrollable factors that put pressure on the Morrisville school budget and also the budgets of other public entities, such as, contractual salary and benefit obligations, increased health care costs and increases in the employees' retirement system. We also have associated costs involving transportation services for special education and technical school students, special education placement in cyber and charter school enrollments, and now an additional assessment of $239,726 from the Bucks County Technical High School as Morrisville's share for the students we send to the technical school.
This debate goes on because the Morrisville school board believes the new cost is disproportionate and, therefore, unfair. We are refusing to pay it until the technical school board comes up with a budget of its own that is more realistic in this economy and certainly more equitable in our case.
