Monday, September 2, 2013

Omissions…. | PWC Education Reform Blog

Omissions…. | PWC Education Reform Blog:

Omissions….


The School Board has posed the agenda for the September 4, 2013 school board meeting – the first public meeting of the 2013 – 2014 school year.  The schedule appears to be for a rather boring and uneventful meeting, which is rather surprising considering the unfinished business of last school year and several benign appearing items on the agenda that are cause for thought.
Items missing from the agenda include, but are not limited to:
(1) Zero Based Budgeting.  Last year the school board directed the school division to begin developing plans for zero based budgeting this year and to present those plans to them for consideration in the Fall.  There’s no mention of zero based budgeting at all in this agenda.  No update, no schedule, no anything.  Maybe the school division hasn’t developed those plans yet, but shouldn’t they at least update the school board and public about when those plans will be available?
(2) CIP.  The CIP is typically discussed and updated as part of the annual budget process.  Last year PWCS chose not to update or review the CIP because they’d be receiving bids for the 12th high school in the Spring and would have to re-do all of that work again.  Bids for the 12th high school were pushed back to the Fall and then to the Winter, reportedly at the request of PWCS.  The CIP, however, has not been reviewed or updated since 2012.  Shouldn’t it be?  The current CIP calls for PWCS to spend $52.97 million next school year on renewals and renovations.  Renewals and