Saugus School Finance Committee discusses new approach to budget

SAUGUS — The College Finance Committee held a gathering on Thursday evening wherein they mentioned the opportunity of altering the kind of finances used inside the faculty system. 

Superintendent of Faculties Erin McMahon mentioned the committee started discussions about shifting to a class finances in September. She mentioned Saugus is just one of 4 districts within the Commonwealth who nonetheless makes use of a line finances.

“Primarily what it [a category budget] does is, we will nonetheless present the element and all of the again finish, however what it does is, it’s actually extra of a abstract so that you simply see buckets versus line gadgets,” McMahon mentioned. “It’s onerous once you have a look at the road gadgets. It’s virtually like taking a look at an in depth up photograph and you may’t really inform what you’re taking a look at, so it kind of zooms again slightly bit.” 

Government Director of Finance and Administration for Saugus Public Faculties, Pola Andrews, mentioned many districts utilizing the class finances solely have two classes: personnel and items and companies. 

“I don’t assume that’s going to be adequate right here in Saugus as a primary go,” she mentioned. “So what I got here via with was salaries, advantages, and contractual obligations.” 

Andrews mentioned the brand new finances format would nonetheless have an FTE (full time workers) quantity, and she or he would at all times come again to the committee if there was a further FTE.

There would even be a class for provides and companies, which might be damaged out for particular schooling provides and companies.

“It doesn’t must be that approach. It may simply be all provides and companies, however there appears to be at all times questions of how particular schooling is trending,” Andrews mentioned. 

There can be a line for athletics, which she mentioned is at all times a sizzling subject, as effectively upkeep and utilities. 

“In my world, utilities is actually one bucket,” she mentioned. “There isn’t any approach you’ll be able to even inform whether or not the [school] goes to spend slightly greater than their finances or rather less than their finances… So long as all utilities come inside motive and keep inside the bucket, that’s actually what I have a look at.” 

There will even be a class for authorized payments and know-how. 

Andrews mentioned that if the committee had been to maneuver to a class finances, it might vote to approve the classes. It could nonetheless obtain, each month, the identical finances report that it does now, together with the identical revolving account finances and the identical grants and balances. 

“The distinction could be that you wouldn’t have as many stability entries,” she mentioned. “The one factor that actually modifications is the duvet web page. You continue to get the whole lot behind it.” 

Chairman of the College Committee Vincent Serino urged that Andrews speak to the city treasurer, Wendy Hatch, to make sure the varsity and the city are on the identical web page. 

“I simply need to ensure that what we resolve, no matter it’s, that it aligns… I don’t need to rapidly change it and it goes over to the city and everybody’s saying, ‘What’re you guys doing?’” Serino mentioned. “I simply need to ensure that if we do it, they see it coming … I need to make certain we’re all related.” 

Andrews urged having a joint assembly with Hatch and Serino, which is one thing McMahon is planning earlier than the committee takes a vote.

Though any such finances could also be extra work, Andrews mentioned that she believes it should in the end “make issues run smoother.”

Allysha Dunnigan might be reached at adunnigan@itemlive.com.