This is BUDGET season- written in capital letters because it is such an all-consuming time for school districts. We are in the process of creating a budget for things that will happen over a year and a half from now: the 2016-2017 school year. This budget needs to take into consideration what will happen to the economy and in our town, not just next fall (2016), but also a year from this winter and spring and summer (until June 2017). Who would have guessed last year that gas prices would be this low? or two years ago, who would have guessed oil would be so high in cost? These "guesses" are so important to our budget process.
We start with all those expenses that we have no control over: health insurance, contractual obligations (such as salaries), leases on equipment, dental insurance, special education costs, social security, workman's compensation and so on. After that, the actual budget for each department is fairly small (compared to the overall budget). We calculate how much we will need for supplies, books, substitutes, paper, and things like musical instruments or football helmets. Each department presents their budget to the School Board individually so that the Board members have a picture of our needs for the following year. This is followed by "guesses" about commodities that change regularly: food prices, gas, oil, propane, electricity. Just like in your own home budget, we weigh the necessities against any new items we might request.
All of this, of course, is for the purpose of our most important asset: our students. We commit to providing all of our students with a rigorous and relevant educational experience. And we must keep up with the needs of society- the reason we update our technology, our books and our practices.
This is an important time in the District: the budget meetings are televised on Channel 22 and will be followed by presentations to the Raymond Budget Committee. The programming schedule for Raymond Community Television can be found at http://www.raymondtv.org/
As always, please call me if you have any questions about the budget process or any other school related issues at 895-4299 ext. 1103.
