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Citizen’s Committee Meets to Provide Input on School District Budget
FREEPORT, N.Y., Mar. 7, 2008
by Theresa Giusto/Felicia Febrizio |
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The members of the Freeport Public Schools’ Finance/Budget Advisory Committee are currently engaged in a crucial undertaking: reviewing the school budget and making recommendations to the Board regarding the budgetary process. This diverse group, ranging from senior citizens and high school students to educators, parents and business leaders, are all Freeport citizens and they are all dedicated to making sure the budget is reflective of what is important to the community. |
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Members of the Freeport Public Schools' Finance/Budget Advisory Committee contemplate the complex educational and financial issues that go into crafting the budget. The members of the committee are, sitting, from left: Dr. Albert Renken, Roxanne Wynn-Trotman, Alan Jay, Dianne Clark, Frank Tucker; and standing, from left; Richard Hudecek, Morgan Miller, Malcolm Adams, Paulette Acquavito, Jeremy Impellizeri, Committee Co-Chair Patricia Lewis, Freeport Schools Deputy Superintendent Kishore Kuncham, Committee Co-Chair Dr. Robert Tucker (top row). Not pictured are: Tihana Badurina, Kenneth Bagatelle, Dr. Joseph Cattano, Christine Petrullo, Michael Raab and David Taub. |
Membership requires a significant commitment: there are eight evening meetings, which begin in early December and continue through April. The first few meetings include presentations by staff members that feature explanations of complex issues such as state mandates and laws governing special education programs. After a thorough introduction to the issues surrounding the budgetary process, the committee gets under way and takes a close look at budget allocations, always motivated by the need to balance educational goals and fiscal responsibilities.
“At the end of the process, I am always impressed by the quality of the committee members’ deliberations and their engagement in understanding complex educational and financial issues,” says Kishore Kuncham, Freeport’s deputy superintendent.
Freeport Public Schools is a diverse, innovative district on Long Island’s South Shore serving about 6,750 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The district and its eight schools take pride in having the region’s only magnet schools of choice, a longstanding
and award-winning classroom English/Spanish Dual Language Program, and a high school where students excel in competitions that include the regional Academic Challenge, Odyssey of the Mind and Future Problem Solving International. The district’s
New Visions School of Exploration and Discovery has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for its high student performance and engaging curriculum.
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