School Board to Aggressively Market its 2013-14 Budget Request

Board of Education members on Monday were taking a logical approach to the next step in the budget process.

There are plenty of seats in the Town Council Chambers, so why not get them filled for budget workshops?

And thus the school board embarked on an intensive marketing campaign to sell the importance of its $51.6 million budget to residents and taxpayers.

And the council.

"There are two public forums, but we have to be there and we need parents to be at every meeting just to be seen," Board of Education Chairman Dean Houle said.

He also acknowledged the school board also has to be aggressive in selling the  $3,488,790 or 7.24 percent, more it needs to operate the school system for the 2013-14 fiscal year. 

Mayor George Apel already told the board he is taking $1.5 million out of the school budget before sending it to the Town Council.

"We have to get the message out to the public," Houle said. "We have to go to that council meeting with a full presentation to give the council a full perspective on where we are."

Houle charged the board's finance and communications committees to offer marketing ideas.

The first budget meeting is scheduled for March 16 at 9 a.m. at Town Hall. A public hearing is scheduled for that meeting.

The second public hearing is slated for March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

Click here for the full budget review schedule. 

"We need to do a presentation as to why the board sent a 7.2 percentage increase to the mayor and we need to ask to the council to send back the money the mayor took out," Houle said. "We need give the council a good explanation and motivation behind that."