Letter: Mudge Explains Stance on School Budget

To the editor,

I would like to set the record straight regarding the fiscal 2013 school budget and submit to the readers a summary of the budget process.

On January 10, 2012 the superintendent of schools, Dr. Phil Auger, presented his preliminary fiscal 2013 budget submission to the North Kingstown School Committee in the amount of $60,022,427.

During the Feb. 7, 2012 school committee meeting Auger submitted a revised budget of  $58,737,012 which reflected the maximum four percent local tax increase that could be levied under Rhode Island General Law 16-2. This also represented a budget reduction of $1.4 million from his preliminary budget, submitted less than a month earlier.

As recommended by the superintendent a motion was made by Dick Welch and seconded by Larry Ceresi to reduce the proposed budget by $1,421,019.  The motion was approved by a 5 to 2 margin, with committee members Page, Welch, Avanzato, Boscardin and Ceresi voting for the reduction and members Benson and Mudge voting against the reductions ( because of a lack of information).

The revised school budget of $58,737,012 was subsequently transmitted to the town manager/town council on or about March 1, 2012.

On May 2, 2012 the North Kingstown Town Council unanimously approved a fiscal 2013 school budget appropriation in the amount of $57,243,694, some $1,493,318 less than what was requested by the school committee.

During the May 8, 2012 the school committee meeting Auger proposed, for some inexplicable and questionable reason, that the school committee approve budget reductions amounting to $2.77 million, which was supported by committee members Lynda Avanzato and Dick Welch.  Strictly reviewed from a mathematical standpoint, I find the proposed reduction very curious because the town council reduced the school committee’s appropriation by only $1.5 million. Obviously when you look at the math, it's a no-brainer – Democratic school committee members Lynda Avanzato and Dick Welch’s motivation was merely a strategic political attempt to embarrass the town council (including their two Democratic colleagues) who unanimously approved the $57.2 million school budget. Politics over the kids once again!

As for the entire school committee, each school committee member very well knows that the town council’s $1.5 million budget reduction will be eventually offset by an additional unbudgeted $624,000 of state aid that is currently allocated for North Kingstown in the governor's budget submission to the General Assembly.  Furthermore, the council is very aware that the school committee has an excess of $1 million of prior year surplus monies that can also be allocated, if necessary, to eliminate the $1.5 million deficit.

Notwithstanding the availability of the yet to be realized aforementioned $1.6 million, I believe the council is also aware that there is approximately $1 million other unrealized school department savings and revenue sources that have been discounted by the school committee. These include facility rental fees ($70,000), closure of Davisville Elementary School ($200,000), collection of NKHS bonds fees from Jamestown ($262,000), additional retirement savings ($125,000), elimination of bonus payments ($30,000), use of School Capital Reserve Funding ($100,000), loss of “IT” consolidation efficiencies ($200,000), Blue Cross savings ($31,000).

For these reasons and the lack of information and budget transparency I did not vote for any school program reductions, including the $1.4 million of reductions that was voted on by the school committee on Feb 7, 2012. Finally, I for one will not threaten our community with unnecessary cuts in our music and athletic programs for the sake of politics or to hold hostage our children for those who seek taxpayer’s money to pay the ransom fee.

Respectfully,

Bill Mudge

Member, North Kingstown School Committee