Finance
Committee Meeting
February 15, 2006
Judge Welsh Hearing Room,
Town Hall, Provincetown, MA 02657
Members Present: Ruth Gilbert, Chair, Matthew Clark, Sue
Buerkel, Robert Vetrick, Walt Winnowski, Ginny Ross and Tom Thurston
Members Excused: Mark Leach, Gary Delius and Ed Gage
Members Absent: Alice Foley
Also
Present: Keith Bergman,
Town Manager, Cheryl Andrews and David Nicolau, Selectmen
Meeting was called
to order at 1 pm
FY 2007 Budget Review con’t
Division VI-School Budgets (Janice Lachowetz, Superintendent; Deb
Trovato, Burt Wolfman, Peter Grosso and Therese Nelson-School Committee; Tony
Teso, VMES Principal and Special Ed Coordinator; Ed Boxer, HS Principal)
300-Provincetown Public Schools
Direct costs- Dept-$4,260,957 Town Manager-$4,154,958
Indirect costs-
Dept-$1,321,687 Town
Manager-$1,321,687
Cherry sheet=
$540,719
Total budget:
Dept-$6,123,364 Town
Manager-$6,015,365
Janice Lachowetz
gave an overview of how budget was determined. Budget was built with
governmental mandates in mind and maintaining integrity of education. Fixed
costs increased dramatically: utilities and sick pay pay-outs for retiring
staff. Enrollment issues are being taken into consideration and School
Committee is having a Public Hearing to get community input and start strategic
planning.
Ruth Gilbert
discussed possibility of regionalization with Nauset School District and how
that arose from a chance meeting on January 30, 2006 with Keith Bergman,
Selectperson Sarah Peake and Nauset School District reps.
It was decided
that today’s discussion would focus only on budget proposal leaving enrollment
and regionalization issues for another time.
Five teachers are
expected to retire this year and only 4 will be replaced.
Total enrollment K-12
is 240 students with 160 coming from Provincetown.
$10,000 fee for
strategic planner would be paid for by Finance Committee Reserve Fund.
Keith Bergman
stated that while it may be necessary to change the configuration of the school
system in the future to deal with declining enrollment, we must deal with the
realities of the current configuration and therefore allow the School Committee
to bring a 2.6% increase in budget to Town Meeting with the option of a
Proposition 2-1/2 override.
Cheryl Andrews
made a statement in favor of 2.6% increase in school budget and allowing consideration of Proposition
2-1/2 override as long as School Committee makes a pledge to look at
reconfiguring schools and controlling costs. School Committee is concerned, and
wants override question to be combined with municipal costs so that schools
don’t stand alone as only department unable to come in level funded.
Keith Bergman is
suggesting that if Town Meeting approves 2.6% increase in school budget, it is
contingent on approval of specific override question. If override is denied
then schools must come in level funded.
Suggestion was
made that recommendation by Finance Committee be tabled until BOS decide if
they are going to support the override question in terms of schools, Cape End
Manor and the municipality.
Robert Vetrick
made a motion to reserve recommendation of this budget. Ginny
Ross seconded and it passed 7:0:0.
Robert expressed
concern on the Police budget vote. He thinks that 5:4:0 vote did not adequately
reflect discussion and opinion of board in terms of summer officer hiring. Vote
will be reconsidered at February 17, 2006 meeting.
310-Cape Cod Tech HS
20% increase to $141,000
Robert Vetrick made
a motion to recommend budget of $141,000. Ginny Ross seconded and it passed 7:0:0.
Meeting adjourned
at 4:20 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Phyllis Lutsky
Phyllis Lutsky
Recording
Secretary