School's 2013-14 'Pot of Money' - Feed Me!!

Well, at least the Board of Mythomania finally gave the public access to their double-secret 'Pot of Money' - aka School Budget for 2013-14. You can see it here.

Took a quick look at it and it's just another Big Bloated Pot of Money growing exponentially, again. It has Spending at $213.9 million, Other Anticipated Revenue at $22.8 million and a Local Tax Levy of $191.1 million. It has Spending increasing by $1.7 million, Other Anticipated Aid decreasing by $1.2 million and the Local Tax Levy increasing by $2.9 million - hence, another School Tax Increase for You and Me!

You can see what this budget does to Your School Taxes in the March 8 post below.

In this post, there are three things that stick out to me that require an immediate NO VOTE on this budget. Let's start off with the change in this 2013-14 Budget over the 2012-13 Budget. This 2013-14 Budget shows a reduction of $2.9 million in Other Anticipated Aid - how can that be? We received the same $13,496,945 in State Aid as we did last year. In fact there's an increase of $500,000 in Extraordinary Aid in this Budget. There was no decrease - yet this Budget shows one. Why?

Remember that $1,951,075 that the Governor sent us in 2011-12 for Taxpayer Relief? Remember too that they didn't give it back to us? Remember what they ended up doing with it? I do, and it's reason why you're seeing their 2013-14 Budget show a decrease in State Aid - when there was none.

They took that $1,951,075 and added it into the 2012-13 Budget - not to provide Taxpayer Relief but to fund additional Spending.

Now, to add insult to injury, they're showing it as a reduction in state aid in the 2013-14 Budget and hence, letting it fall as an increase to the Local Tax Levy.

Something isn't it? First they Repurpose the $1,951,075 in 2011-12 Taxpayer Relief money to increase Spending in 2012-13 and now they want us to pay for that Additional $1,951,075 in Spending again by letting it fall into the Local Tax Levy in 2013-14.

You can't make this stuff up!

Strike 1!

Second thingie - since there is no actual reporting against any School Budget for Staffing (or anything else), all unbudgeted additions go unreported and are Not disclosed to You in any Budget you're asked to vote on. Well, it looks like the Staffing Shell Game is alive and well in in 2012-13. Seems we've added some Unbudgeted Guidance Counselors and an Elementary Supervisor to name a few.

Now, in this 2013-14 Budget, they're asking to add 8 new Staff but they don't tell you what they've already added when they ask to add 8 more. That's how we've grown to some 394 Unbudgeted Heads over the years that were added but were never disclosed to You in the Budgets you were asked to vote on.

For keeping the Staffing Shell Game alive and well and failing to disclose it in this 2013-14 Budget..

Strike 2!

Finally, the hoarding of money that's supposed to be used for Taxpayer Relief in these School Budget s including all that aid that came in after the tax rate gets struck and all that money that was moved into capital reserves. Remember last year whey they Repurposed some $7 million and used it to increase Spending - they also moved $2.4 million into the capital reserve on the same night they adopted the 2012-13 School Budget? That's almost $10 million!!

Strike 3!

While there's more, for those 3 reasons alone, you should VOTE NO on this 2013-14 Budget. We need to Stop the Out-of-Control Spending and Total Disregard for the Residents/Taxpayers.

Some History:

That's a $15.2 million increase in Spending over the last 3 years with 22-Cent increase in the School Tax Rate or some 8.8% - and that's After Repurposing our Taxpayer Relief Money!

Whoa!!