Time to Hit The Reset Button

If Sandwich was a video game, I think we have almost arrived at the point where you would hit the reset button, grab a drink, and then start over.

While everyone is certainly welcome to grab a drink, there just is no such thing as a real life "Do Over".  The best anybody can hope for is that the bad things stop and something better (or at least not as bad) starts.

There aren't enough politically active people in this Town to hold a really good bake sale -- let alone a recall election, so, its unlikely we will be getting any new 'talent" on the local boards until May.  So here's a few ideas to pass the time until then:

I would propose that:

1)  If Bud sees any validity in Jim Pierce's budgetary thoughts, they be discussed with the School Department and then brought back to the BOS for either inclusion in an updated projection, or rejection and disposal.  We need more realistic and definitive discussion than I heard this week.  Jim's dissertation seemed to serve only to foul up the budgetary waters on the week before voters are being asked for a Debt Exclusion (ie. Override).   Going forward, I would hope that the BOS could speak with one voice on budget projections -- particularly when BOS members address outside groups -- such as PTA's.

2)  The Superintendent contract issue be resolved ASAP.  While the most likely way this will be resolved is through legal action by the Superintendent, the Committee needs to settle this issue as expeditiously as possible -- out of fairness to Dr. Johnson as well as the students of the District.  

3)  As lame as the School Committee may be, they are still legally responsible for the Schools.  They should have knowledgable representatives present for future BOS & FinCom budget discussions. 

4)  The BOS needs to update (or not) their budget projection for next year -- assuming a 0% (or less) growth on all lines (no override) to determne next year's shortfall.  We need to know the answer to that question to determine the bottom line of the school budget.

5)  What will need to be eliminated at both the Town and the Schools in order to meet that target? This is what people seem to have trouble visualizing -- I haven't looked at the Pierce Projection yet, but based on the last official projection, we are looking at Big Numbers -- not just a $10 increase in athletic fees.

THEN the Boards can start the real work --- begin discussing and deciding what programs are most important and what can be downscaled, eliminated, regionalized, or replaced with cheaper alternatives,  This is where the School Committee gets confused.  It's easy to focus on minutiae (secretarial job descriptions and picking copy machines) but its far more important to discuss policy issues -- Can we afford to continue to teach French, provide free transportation, heat the pool, maintain low athletic/activity fees, etc.?  These discussion need to happen soon.

This is not like past budgets -- the numbers are going to be much tighter, the Committee has less financial experience, and the Superintendent is leaving.  I have to assume that if the Committee didn't have enough confidence in the Superintendent to renew her contract, they are going to want to look at the budget carefully -- especially since some of them have billed themselves as such "financial watchdogs!".  Since so many of them appeared clueless during the last budget discussion, I hope they are using some of their free time to read budget documents, talk to the Superintendent, and gain an understanding of the issues -- not just making lists of questions to be read off in front of the camera.