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Citizen’s Committee Plays Key Role
In District Budget Deliberations
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They range in age from high school seniors to senior citizens, but the members of the Freeport Public School’s Finance/Budget Advisory Committee have a common mission: to “review the school budget and make recommendations to the Board regarding the budgetary process.”
“The committee affords direct input into the budget process from a cross-section of taxpayers,” says Co-Chair Dr. Robert Tucker. “The Board gets an accurate sense of what’s important to the community and can take that into account in the budget development process.”
“You have people from all walks of life — educators, parents and people involved in business and finance,” says Joyce-Lorraine Lisi, the other co-chair. “They can sometimes see things in a different way. It’s very valuable.” |
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The members of the Budget Advisory Committee represent a cross-section of the school community, including students. They are shown with administrators who presented at a recent meeting. Back row, left to right: David Taub; Christine Petrullo; Roxanne Wynn-Trotman; Sue Greca, director, second languages; Vanessa Morales; Malcolm Adams; Dr. Albert Renken; Dianne Clark; Kimberly Lippman-White; Paulette Acquavito; Kishore Kuncham, deputy superintendent; Jane Albert, director, pupil personnel services; Pam Taylor, Assistant Director, Pupil Personnel Services; Dr. Robert Tucker. Front row, left to right: Tihana Badurina; Patricia Lewis; Steve Pouyat; Joyce-Lorraine Lisi; Frank Tucker; Spiro Colaitis. |
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Membership in the committee requires a significant commitment: there are eight evening meetings, beginning in early December and ending in April. The first three featured presentations by staff members on such areas as state mandates, special education and ESL/dual language programs. Then the group got down to work taking a close look at budget allocations, always striving to balance educational goals and fiscal responsibility.
“At the end of the process, I am always impressed by the quality of the committee’s deliberations and their engagement in understanding complex educational and financial issues,” says Deputy Superintendent Kishore Kuncham. |
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