Over the
next few weeks the MERSD School Committee and Administrative Team will be
focused on finalizing its FY13 budget proposal. Although, under the
Regional Agreement, we present a budget and hold a public hearing for feedback
in December, it is considered the tentative or first draft budget.
It is not a formal request to the towns, but, rather, it is a status update
that represents our initial assessment of needs for the following fiscal
year. Each year in January the district works collaboratively with the
towns to refine the numbers to determine the final budget request.
Manchester
Essex Regional School District is committed to a collaborative approach to
budget planning. In that spirit, we continue to work cooperatively with
the Boards of Selectman and Finance in both Essex and Manchester, meeting
regularly to provide one another with on-going progress reports of our planning
process and outlook. On January 24th we will be holding
a joint public forum at 7:30 PM at the Essex Elementary School to discuss
current budget proposals and to gather feedback from the public. This
event is meant to provide the community with an opportunity to learn and to ask
questions about our proposed budget for FY13.
In closing, I am proud of our faculty and administration for the
work they do in the service of students and of the commitment of our
communities to support quality schools. We are a high performing district
striving for excellence and focused on developing the needs of the whole child.
Our budget process is designed to be an open and transparent
exercise. The tentative budget outlines what the district believes is
needed to maintain quality and to position the schools for continual
improvement of the educational program and student achievement. Going
forward the district will continue to work to balance the costs of providing
the best possible education for students within the economic constraints of the
times.
Please
visit the MERSD budget page (www.mersd.org – Quick
Link: Budget) for details about our FY13
budget proposal and goals and to review additional budget documents.
Budget
Forum
MERSD
School Committee & Boards of Selectman and
Finance for Essex and Manchester
January 24, 2012
Essex Elementary School Cafeteria ~ 7:30 PM