Is common sense and transparency really too much to ask?
We find ourselves again at the mercy of an Administration unwilling to engage with the community and an ineffective board that cannot or will not be the voice of the community.
The latest budget meeting is just another example. The detailed budget was sent to the Board on a Thursday 3/9, with the BOE meeting on a Monday 3/13.
The first time the community would see any figures was the PowerPoint presentation of rolled-up numbers attempting to explain revenues, expenses, the “Fiscal Cliff”, where the cuts are coming from, and the final tax increase. Right after the presentation and questioning by some board members (Ms. Penna pushed to curtail the questioning for time), the public was allowed to comment. Not seeing the detailed budget and minutes to digest the presentation, how were community members supposed to ask relevant questions? How could we even know what to ask? Not to mention only having 3 minutes in which to do so. There was a glimmer of hope, with Ms. Young calling for another meeting before the final vote and Ms. Kot saying she would publish the detailed budget. She explained that what she will publish may change after the county runs the submitted budget through its processes. It’s better than nothing.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a whole lot of nothing. I emailed Ms. Kot on Thursday 3/16 asking if the budget was published or when the public could expect it to be published. She responded that she would publish it when the county responds to her, but Mr. Hopkins would provide it if I submitted an OPRA request. And now we’ve come full circle. Mr. Hopkins’ pay raise and the additional title was predicated on the “onslaught” of OPRA requests. This is a perfect example of how the Administration generates OPRA requests by not sharing information that is very easy to share and crucial for community engagement. They create unnecessary work for themselves, which they then use to justify additional expenses.
Here are some questions regarding the budget that need to be answered:
1. How is the 3.19% tax increase threshold derived? This is apparently the tax rate that can be levied without a public vote. Was that just theater to have the community be grateful that only 2.45% is being proposed?
2. How much is budgeted for the salaries of the SI and the two assistant SIs in the General Administration line? And why are these projections such a secret?
3. What is going into the estimate for the legal fees? Half the 150k athletic budget cut can be saved by budgeting for legal fees at the same level as 2021-2022.
4. Why isn’t the Administration using an accurate interest rate in projecting revenues when increase in expenses is often explained by inflation (i.e. higher interest rates)? It seems odd that the person responsible for presenting the budget is unaware of the current interest rates.
5. There are a lot of shifting amounts from one account to another unrelated to ESSER. Why is that? Can the Administration publish a line-by-line comparison to the prior year with explanations as to the changes?
6. What was approved for capital projects for last year and what was completed? If projects were not completed, where did the money go? Which projects are carried over from last year?
7. How is the budget aligned toward closing the learning gap?
At the BOE meeting, I asked about the analysis to support the 12k for Mr. Hopkins as records custodian. Ms. Kot said she presented the full analysis to Board in an executive session. When I asked her to share it, she said it’s essentially confidential, but I can discuss with each member their vote:
“You can speak with Board members about their individual votes, however, they cannot reveal any confidential information that was discussed.”
This in my opinion, is a veiled threat to the BOE members not to discuss this at all and makes me wonder what the administration is hiding. What is so confidential about the projected number of OPRA requests and the number of hours needed to complete them? And why is there such a cost differential between what Mr. Hopkins is getting paid vs. what was estimated for the attorneys?
This Administration is hiding something, and the BOE is failing to hold them accountable. The community needs to demand transparency.
Below is my entire exchange with Ms. Kot regarding the budget and OPRA analysis.
Related Content:
HOW TO BE A BOE MEMBER DURING A PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF THE BUDGET.
NOTES ON THE TENTATIVE 2023 BERKELEY HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL BUDGET
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST 2023 BUDGET MEETING
SHAUNA EXPLAINS HER COMMENTS TO THE BOARD ON THE BUDGET
THE PENNA MAGIC SHOW CONTINUES
BERKELEY HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL BUDGET: ALL (MAYBE MOST OF) THE ARTICLES
3 thoughts on “Stop the Insanity!”