There's No Business Like Snow Business...

Roses in full bloom in November? Landscaping in front of Bertucci's Restaurant, Warwick, RI Taken on Saturday night, November 26, 2011

I should note that as I write this posting, it is 63 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the sun is shining, and I hear the squeals of happy 5th graders on the playground equipment outside of my office window.  So... no time like the present to address plans for snow days!!

At its meeting last Monday night, the Mendon-Upton Regional School Committee approved a contingency plan (posted below) in the event that we have numerous snow days this coming winter.  This plan was necessary due to the fact that we started the year with three cancellation days due to Hurricane Irene and as of today, we are ending the school year on Tuesday, June 19, 2012.  As we received a fairly good response rate from parents and staff to an online survey regarding potential make-up days, we have used that data to craft the below plan.

A few thoughts:  As you look at the plan, please realize that we covered every potential possibility regarding number of snow days and when they could occur.  Therefore, there is a "by date" column in the plan.  Over the past ten years the MURSD has had 0-3 snow days each year; the only exception was last year when school was cancelled 7 days (5 snow days plus 2 roof clearing days).  Thus, odds are that the first row in the contingency plan is the most likely possibility this school year.

However, let's review what we've seen locally in the past twenty months: historical flooding, tornadoes and microbursts, an Atlantic coast hurricane, and record-setting snowfall.  I could easily do a post or two on my thoughts on the mounting evidence of global climate change- call it the high school science teacher in me- but I'll save that for another day.  The fact remains that there is empirical evidence that our planet is warmer, hence there is more moisture in the atmosphere, hence more precipitation.  I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we do get another stormy winter, much as the Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting.  I certainly hope that's not the case and our winter ahead is a quiet one.

May we all have many sunny days in the 50's ahead of us!

School Funding Basics- State Funding 101

The way we fund our school district's budget is very complex, and as we all know in recent years, increasingly more difficult.  I am well aware of the fact that in years past, the Regional School Committee and district administration have made many efforts to explain various terms, regulations, and mandates that dictate both revenues and expenditures.  As there are so many aspects of this, it would be difficult to cover and explain all of it in one session.  Hence, School Committee Chair Heather Applegate recently had the idea to use the next two or three months (before the budget season gets into full gear) to explain some aspects of school funding to the public.  A great idea!

Hence, below is the brief 8-slide PowerPoint presentation that I gave at last Monday night's School Committee meeting.  This presentation is the first in a series that I will be giving. As the cover slide notes, it is on the basics on the funding we receive from the state through its Chapter 70 Program.  In my presentation I was also careful to detail between the terms "foundation budget" and "net school spending," two terms that very much detail the minimum we (and every district in the Commonwealth) must spend on education.  I hope my presentation is clear... If you have any questions, please post them below.