Here's two cents on the latest Plainedge School District Budget saga.  Before going forward, it is important that I take you back to the Board of Education (BOE) reorganization meeting last July.  I remember that meeting well, mostly for the smiling tanned faces of the Plainedge School District administration members who just returned from vacations.  You see, the community of Plainedge just got through an epic effort to help pass the year's school budget.  With the budget passed and administrative pay raises in hand, symbolically I remember the tanned faces.

The meeting was not attended by many of the usual community members who worked so hard getting that budget passed.  Some said they were exhausted from the effort and needed time away from the board meetings.   Last year the community supported one the highest increases that this district has ever seen in hope of giving everything back to the children of Plainedge after a year on an austerity budget.

Now, let's revert back to the present and a new Plainedge School District budget discussion.  This year’s discussion is highlighted by some very important issues involving the restoration of Middle School Sports programs, Gifted Student programs and keeping community tax increases at a reasonable level.  If you have been to a recent BOE meeting you will know that it is crunch time.  The BOE is trying to decide whether to add the additional programs that will benefit children or keep these important programs away from the children to protect a lower budget percentage.   

Back and forth the discussions go as each Board Member presents their position.  Often their discussion gets steered not by themselves but by the opinion of a soon to be retired superintendent.  It is heartbreaking that the discussion has come down to “give to our children or take away from our children.” 

In the last few meetings, I appreciated the efforts of some BOE members as they used their calculator to try to help solve the equation while making their suggestions on which services to cut from the budget.  I sat listening intently to community members one after the other present what exactly they wanted for their children, "MORE PROGRAMS" (Middle School Sports and Gifted child programs.)   My thoughts went back to an important issue from last years BOE election, the one that clearly asked does the board of education run the administration or does the administration run the board of education,  who works for who?  I was puzzled as our elected Board Members tried to solve "the budget equation" as the administration sat next to them.  The BOE was working hard scratching their collective heads thinking about what could be cut from the budget to lower the tax levy for the community instead of the important programs.   I thought it odd that someone being paid to administrate our school district finances sat idle with no other suggestions on potential budget options to reach our goal, after all isn’t she being paid to produce a budget that meets our requirements? 

Now for more of my two cents and a clear message to elected members of the Plainedge Board of Education . . . MANAGE THE PROCESS!  The community of Plainedge has elected you to listen to their requests.  The community elects the Board members to represent them and to MANAGE and DIRECT the administration to follow through on their instructions.  So I ask this question, why are our BOE members, the leaders of our school district, sitting by and working hard to figure out budget cuts themselves?  Don’t they realize that the have a brilliant administration of individuals that have Masters Degrees and Doctorates in Education, Engineering and Finance at their disposal!  Why aren’t these people doing their jobs by figuring out what to cut on other budget line items themselves?

It's time that the Plainedge Board of Education takes a stand and directs this administration to GO TO WORK!  The BOE quite frankly, should do what any leader in any corporate situation would do and dictate . . . this is what we need . . . a lower budget number to present to the community along with adding in the programs for the children that our voters in attendance have demanded of us.  It is your responsibility and you (the administration) are being paid to produce.  Why are we different from any other business?  Could you imagine telling your boss or the leaders of your company “nah, you figure it out?”

The BOE should instruct the talented administration staff with all of their degrees to lock themselves in a room and not come back to the table until they solve the budget equation period.  It is difficult for any organization facing budget cuts, the administration should recommend in order of importance line items that can be adjusted.  Stop cutting the children of Plainedge.   The BOE should again demand that the administration make hard cuts just like any other business in America!   The administration seems to play a game with the BOE members and the community of “we're not telling, you figure it out for yourselves and while you’re thinking we’ll distract you with other issues.”

Now, let’s once again recall the tanned faces of last July, this community clearly stepped up and provided the sun!  Now the administration should do their job and give back to the community and the children.  The administration should deliver a program filled budget at a lower percent of increase by making hard cuts in other areas of the budget.  It's the administration’s job to get it done and the Plainedge BOE should toughen up and demand nothing less for our community!

After they close the door and give us the effort that we are clearly paying for if they conclude that there are truly no other cuts available then it is up to our BOE to boldly add the requested programs back in the in the budget.  The parents who worked so hard last year deserve the opportunity to sell a program filled budget to our community that would best benefit our children and give them MORE!   Once again the school district should ride the backs of some of the hardest working parents that a community has ever seen.

Two cents?  The BOE manages the process and administration does their job to deliver this community what it needs for our children and to bring Plainedge back.  Times are changing in Plainedge and it’s time to go to work . . . we demand it!