Finance/Budget Advisory Committee

The Board of Education of the Freeport Union Free School District is reestablishing a Finance/Budget Advisory Committee. The Finance/Budget Advisory Committee will consist of community residents and is being reinstituted to assist the Board of Education by making recommendations to the Board regarding the preparation of the 2003-04 school district budget and future budgets. The committee will function under the direction of the Board of Education and will be dissolved as and when deemed appropriate by the Board of Education.

Charge

To utilize the committee members’ expertise in a review of the school budget and to make recommendations to the Board regarding the budgetary proposal.

Specific Elements of the Charge

The Finance/Budget Advisory Committee is specifically charged to:

Develop an understanding of the budget process and the educational and financial needs of the District and State and Federal mandates.
Review the District’s budget and documents related to the preparation of the budget.
Determine the degree to which the budget meets the educational needs of the school community and at the same time fiscally and educationally responsible.
Make recommendations to the Board on the budget proposal regarding budgetary items, clarity and structure of the budget, and meeting the educational needs of the school community.

Membership and Method of Selection

The Committee will be composed of a maximum of 22 individuals who are residents of the School District and will be structured to represent as many kinds of interests as possible, such as senior citizens, educators, parents, homeowners, business owners and high school students. The members of the past Finance/Budget Advisory Committee will be invited to continue to serve as committee members. Any vacant positions will be filled by an application process and by lottery. The Board of Education may also directly appoint any community member to the Finance/Budget Advisory Committee.

The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents will serve as exofficio members of the committee.

Applications for committee membership will be solicited from the entire community and will be available in the District’s schools. This will apply to any vacant positions that may exist, if any of the past committee members were unable to return to serve on the committee.

Three committee members will serve from each of the interested groups, such as senior citizens, educators, parents, business owners, homeowners and high school students.

Committee Authority

The Finance/Budget Advisory Committee is advisory in nature. The committee will present its recommendations to the Board of Education for review, discussion and action. The Board of Education may request statement clarification, procedural alteration or reconsideration of an item of content or recommendation.

Time Line

Serving on the committee will represent a serious commitment on the part of committee members. The deadline for receipt of applications is October 30, 2002. Members selected for the committee will be notified by early November. The first meeting of the committee will be held by December 15, 2002. Additional dates will be selected according to the budget calendar.