As we enter our budget planning season, I just wanted to kick off with a few comments about how this board views the budget and to try to set the stage for the discussion we will have about the tradeoffs we will need to consider over the coming months. I’d also like address some of the questions and perceptions that have come up during the past year that we have heard from community members.
The role of the board – this board was elected to guide the strategic direction of the district and hold a long term view. We seek to make decisions that reflect the values and preferences of the tax payers of Jenkintown, that is everyone, people with students and people without students in the school. For every decision we are most concerned with: What is the impact to students? What is the impact to staff? What is the impact to the budget and the broader community? These considerations often conflict.
I also want to say a few words about this board as people. I appreciate very much the people that approach us with respect, ask questions and thank us for our service. They understand that this board is made up of good people, they are your neighbors, they have kids in the school, they pay taxes. This is more for people that don’t know us and may listen to some of the things you hear about how terrible we are, worst board ever, we are stupid, we don’t know what is going on and that we are hiding things. It is just not true.
We prioritize a high quality educational environment for our students – this is critical for the tax payers of Jenkintown, it is important to us as parents, it is important for property values, and for our businesses to thrive. People move to Jenkintown for many reasons, the school is a major reason, and maintaining a thriving school district that continues to innovate and evolve is fundamental to the health of our borough. This does not mean that we can do everything that every one of our stakeholders requests. We know that the tax burden on our community is high relative to other areas.
We are making all of our decisions in a highly dynamic and changing environment. We understand the pressures on our teachers, and the changing needs of our students. Over the past several years, we have made decisions that highlight our commitment to trying to strike the best balance we can between often competing interests. A few things you will hear about over the coming months as we discuss the budget include details related to property tax increases, Act 1 index, property re-assessments, various budget funds, general fund vs. fund balance etc. We will seek to answer your questions with as much information as possible. Over the coming months, please let us know if you have questions related to the school district budget or budget process.
