Opinion: Town Meeting Needs To Support Burlington Schools Audit

BURLINGTON, MA -- The following letter to the editor was submitted in response to "Town Meeting Wants Complete Audit Of Burlington Schools," which was published on Burlington Patch on August 13:

It has recently been revealed that the Burlington School Department has accrued a large deficit for the 2017-2018 school year. In September, Town Meeting will be asked to cover the deficit (estimates range from $800,000 to $1.7 million) most likely using the Town’s stabilization fund. Also at September Town Meeting, TMMs will vote on a warrant article requesting a full outside audit of the school operating budget. I call on our School Committee to support this warrant with the same vigor with which they support the school system’s budget request every year.

The school department has been embroiled in one financial mess after another over the past year. It is glaringly apparent that our $60 million school budget has not been handled responsibly. The School Committee arguably should have called for this audit themselves, but having failed to do so, they now have the opportunity to stand with the taxpayers of Burlington in supporting this much needed audit.

Barbara L’Heureux
Burlington resident

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