Joint Committee: introductory comments and Net School Spending

Foley: joint committees getting together on a regular basis
"great opportunity for the two committees to come together for information sharing and information gathering...to make sure that we're on the same page"
update on Net School Spending update: where we are as a community relative to education spending
look at FY15 school budget
facilities projects updates: where we are and what we're looking at for next year
facilities master plan and transportation study
Economou: working together towards common goals
"trying to eliminate the 'us verus them'"
"to have a more cohesive discussion about school and school issues"



Net School Spending: state update as of today
shortfall of $2,751,894 as of today
Allen: shortfall of $2.2 million at end of FY13 due to state clarification of chargeback of administrative costs (can only be salary, not benefits)
carried over to FY14: $2.75 million under NSS
Foley: worked with City Council to get above Net School Spending
$134,000 over when budget was passed
FY12 had a $1.3 million carryover, eliminated by FY14
benefits were essentially equal to the $1.3 million; decision wiped out coming to even
Foley: number does change in the course of the year
Zidelis: agreement included fringe costs, regs were silent on it; Board decision clarified that benefits don't count towards NSS
Economou: where do you (Zidelis) see us going into 2015?
Going backwards; where do you see things going?
Zidelis: "our goal is to decrease that number"
still a lot of moving parts; Augustus has "charged the finance department with decreasing that number"
direction from City Council and City Manager to decrease that number
Economou: try to get above on a consistent basis
Novick: state has commented that being right at zero puts you in danger of going under; does the state give a recommendation how much above?
Allen: state comments that it is necessary to be above, local decision
Toomey: not adequate foundation formula, get this corralled and move forward
Rosen: responsibility here, City Manager was on school committee
"some have started to lobby the City Council and that's fine...but" urges lobbying of state
asks what biggest needs of school system are; Foley answers that they are in the budget presentation