School panel discusses capping unused funds
By Michaela Kennedy

Capping the unreserved fund was the topic the School Committee took up at their March 6 meeting. The draft outlines that funds exceeding the cap will be returned to the town's general fund.

Committee member William "Bucky" Brennan provided copies of the proposal to panel members. The policy, prepared by Brennan, will allow the balance of the school district's unreserved fund to be up to five percent of the overall school budget if approved. The committee spent most of the meeting discussing the language of the policy and revising the wording of the document.

School committee chairwoman Cathy Kaiser suggested approving the limit on the fund. "Whatever we need can come from the capped amount," she said. Kaiser focused on the language of the draft, and stressed the need to fund unanticipated expenses, including but not limited to capital projects. "It would give us a peace of mind that we would be able to look to the town to bail us out," she added.

According to the Education Resources Information Center, school districts can improve their chances of avoiding financial difficulty by developing unreserved fund balance resources specifically for contingencies.

The committee went on to read an updated draft of the summer school policy, which outlines opportunities for remedial instruction for students who have not achieved the standards on the state or local assessments, or on quarterly report cards.

Committee members agreed that parents must be made aware of the ramifications of a student not successfully completing summer school. Wording included in the proposed policy read, "Advancement is not guaranteed."

Additional wording in the policy stated that students are expected to maintain a ninety percent attendance rate during the summer school period, and the behavior code will be followed throughout the session. Also stated in the draft was a note that nothing in the policy should be interpreted as an interference with the extended school year provisions of the Board of Regents Regulations Governing the Education of Students with Disabilities.

The committee scheduled readings of the unreserved fund and summer school draft policies for the business meeting on March 20.