The standard School Committee and Selectman discussion of Dr. Canfield’s budget continues to suggest $1 million of savings will soon be realized by the schools.
It is just about impossible, though, to find any evidence and documentation supporting these numbers in any published budget materials. How much money is Dr. Canfield spending this year? How does that compare to what the schools spent last year, or expects to spend next year?
Perhaps the reason for this oversight and research failure by our elected officials is because the real numbers don't match up with the storyline. For example, in the current year, the schools are expected to spend 30,819,859. With all the savings being talked about, plus the past decade of declining enrollments, a reasonable person might assume that spending next year will be down a bit. But it's not. In fact, the Superintendents’ budget calls for spending $32,006,580 in 2015. That's $1,186,721 more than this year. It's not a one-year aberration either. Spending increases are projected for the following year (2016) by Dr. Canfield albeit he suggests a significantly smaller increase than this year’s requested increase.
It's hard to rationalize that the school's budget is about to realize significant savings while also reading reports published by the schools showing spending going in the opposite direction. . . .
The basic problem is simple Dr. Canfield and our elected officials have tortured the English language by suggesting that if spending grows less than expected, it should be called a spending cut or savings. Outside of city hall, nobody talks like that. This is more than just a theoretical discussion about transparency and budgeting. The failure of our school administration, school committee and selectmen to provide real numbers presents a false image to taxpayers about the state of our municipal budgets. Spending is not being cut but going up.
It is just about impossible, though, to find any evidence and documentation supporting these numbers in any published budget materials. How much money is Dr. Canfield spending this year? How does that compare to what the schools spent last year, or expects to spend next year?
Perhaps the reason for this oversight and research failure by our elected officials is because the real numbers don't match up with the storyline. For example, in the current year, the schools are expected to spend 30,819,859. With all the savings being talked about, plus the past decade of declining enrollments, a reasonable person might assume that spending next year will be down a bit. But it's not. In fact, the Superintendents’ budget calls for spending $32,006,580 in 2015. That's $1,186,721 more than this year. It's not a one-year aberration either. Spending increases are projected for the following year (2016) by Dr. Canfield albeit he suggests a significantly smaller increase than this year’s requested increase.
It's hard to rationalize that the school's budget is about to realize significant savings while also reading reports published by the schools showing spending going in the opposite direction. . . .
The basic problem is simple Dr. Canfield and our elected officials have tortured the English language by suggesting that if spending grows less than expected, it should be called a spending cut or savings. Outside of city hall, nobody talks like that. This is more than just a theoretical discussion about transparency and budgeting. The failure of our school administration, school committee and selectmen to provide real numbers presents a false image to taxpayers about the state of our municipal budgets. Spending is not being cut but going up.
15 comments:
Bob,I have been attempting to understand how any one can save over Million dollars in next years budget, as has been written about in all of the newspapers, by spending over a million dollars to put in a program this year. Especially when every one knows the pay scale will be going up next year for all of those improvements being put into place this year.
What I also do not understand, is why the School department did not apply for grant money for some of the projects we tax payers got to pay for, especially when other school districts were receiving grants.
Less students, more teachers, higher wages, does not equal any savings in next years budget from this looking glass into the future. What I see is a much higher payroll and an override.
...but they can tell you just how many yards of dirt a beach needs
You're spot on, Bob! Unfortunately, you are tilting at windmills. Your logic may as well have been posted in Arabic. Sandwichites are all mesmerized by the great and powerful Dr. Canfield. Our BOS chants in unison, "Yes, Dr. Canfield!" They might as well be responding, "thank you, kind sir, can I have another!" The numbers don't add up and Dr. C moves the shells faster than our illustrious BOS, SC and FinCom can follow. It's funny and pathetic all at the same time!
This type of budget process is common throughout all of government these days, all the way to D.C. It's our giant government's way of saying "you're too stupid to understand what we do here, so just comply and shut up". But we can't and we shouldn't. Urge others to take a look and see what's behind the curtain. I think Canfield is using that new Common Core math to get his numbers... because it just doesn't add up and it doesn't make sense.
We all know that the Selectmen and SC members read this blog. You would think that they would comment on Mr. Guerin's post, but then again, how can you respond to it if it the truth and you are the problem.
Sticking with our show me the savings theme…..Selectmen now say that a professional engineering study (to be paid for by taxpayers) of the Wing school might determine that the building could be converted to another use, possibly municipal offices or a senior center (to be paid for by taxpayers).
Once taxpayers fund the study and then fund the construction of the Wing school municipal offices or senior center and then fund the ongoing operation of the new Wing offices just where exactly is the millions in savings to be found?
What Happened to the money we already gave the school district to do the same thing a few years back, what happened to that report.
Time to CAN Canfield and get someone new to manage the Town as well. Bud is a nice man but he has run his time and has spun in circles for a while now. We need clear budgets and forecasts and stop political arm rubbing each other. Residents get out and Take Sandwich Back!
2;13
That report said the schools needed to keep the Wing School because they needed the space. The town has wanted the Wing School for some purpose since 08. Canfield is delivering it to them. Now an outside study will tell the town to do whatever it has had in mine for the building for years. That will justify taking the school that the people actually wanted to keep.
Thats not at all what the study said --- google it!
The study outlined what it would cost to fix the building up to continue to be used as a school. Thats what started the process of looking at consolidating buildings.
No study has ever said the Wing needed to be saved because they needed the school space. The rapidly declining enrollment, the growing popularity of school choice, charter schools, and increased parochial school seats -- along with the cost of living in Sandwich has reduced the likelihood there will ever be enough of an increase in demand to justify keeping the Wing.
Theres plenty of real things to argue about .... No reason to just make up "facts" that can be easily proved to be lies.
Canfield is doing what he was hired to do. Everybody seems to have forgotten he works for the School Committee -- apparently even him!
I don't understand how the School Committee can just disappear. I saw a meeting this week and i was shocked that only 5 members were there despite the fact there were major budget issues to be discussed. I was also shocked at the meeting itself -- everybody was sitting at little tiny desks crammed in a little tacky room with a lousy sound system.
It certainly didn't inspire any public confidence watching these "professionals" pretend to discuss a $30 million budget -- It was more like watching a k-8 student council meeting discussing their latest fund raising scam!
I couldnt have said it better bob. Now its up to the tax payer to shoot down their requests at the polls! Spread the word
The post above is correct.
The last Wing School study was about building repair costs and nothing more. That study outlined as much as $40 million in potential reconstruction and upgrade costs for Wing. A preposterous number and report!
STEM is at its core a repair cost avoidance plan. STEM was NOT the answer to the question: what’s our optimal learning model? STEM answered the question: how do we avoid repairing Wing?
Shoddy maintenance planning, half-baked and unsubstantiated repair cost estimates and questionable demographic assumptions led to the adoption of a middle school learning plan based on making do in existing buildings. What’s the ideal learning situation for our children was a question never asked at the start of this project. Start to finish this project has been a make do with what you have proposition.
Will anyone actually be held accountable for all this mess? Nope. Welcome to Sandwich where making do and accepting and settling is how we operate.
Excellent comment "been watching"! You are right on the money. Dr. C. stated many times when he first arrived on the scene that his first order of business was to do something about Wing. It is frustrating to see yet another shell game. Now the SC has voted to have Wing empty by September 2015 before they have concluded what is the best model for education district wide. Is it any wonder families are opting out of Sandwich? Talk about the cart leading the horse. Meanwhile we keep throwing money at the schools in hopes of reversing the exodus.
Bob - I am very curious to know your thoughts on the two different reconfiguration models being proposed by Dr. Canfield. Can you share your thoughts?
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