WSESD Finance Committee Meeting Agenda and Minutes

Windham Southeast School District
Finance Committee Meeting – Tuesday, February 8, 2022
5:00pm Meeting via Zoom link

Members: Shaun Murphy – Chairperson, Michelle Luetjen Green, Jaci Reynolds
Board Recorder: Wendy Levy
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84633117887?pwd=d2Q1ZWQ4N3Y0TTVMd0M4ZkxzZTFYZz09
Meeting ID: 846 3311 7887
Passcode: dvH70C

Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Fiscal Year to Date Financial Statement Review
3. FY23 Budget Planning & Development
• Preparation for Public Information Meeting & Annual Report
4. Recommendation to Board to Approve Warrants and Payrolls
5. Other
Cc.SM, BN 2.3.22

…

Note: These proposed minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved by the
board at a future meeting.

WINDHAM SOUTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT (WSESD) FINANCE COMMITTEE &
WSESD INDEPENDENT BUDGET REVIEW COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022
REGULAR MEETING – 5PM
REMOTE MEETING
DRAFT MINUTES

WSESD Finance Committee Members Present: Chairperson Shaun Murphy (SM), Michelle Luetjen
Green (MG), Jaci Reynolds (JR)
WSESD Independent Budget Review Committee Members Present: Chairperson Kristina Naylor,
Barbara Charkey, Maggie Foley, Casey Murrow
WSESU/SD Administrators Present: Frank Rucker, Mark Speno
Others Present: Wendy M. Levy (WSESD Board Recorder), Tim Maciel, David Schoales
Please note: Because of Zoom’s attendance format, this attendance record may be incomplete.

CALL TO ORDER:

Finance Committee Chairperson SM called the meeting to order at 5:01pm.

I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

MOTION BY JR TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 11, 2021 MEETING. SM
SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

SM expressed his appreciation for the comprehensive nature of the meeting minutes.

III. FY23 BUDGET PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
– Budget Assumption Updates
Finance Director Frank Rucker said the budget has not changed in the last four weeks, but, recent developments from incoming federal data prompted Frank and Interim Superintendent Mark Speno to seek additional funding. Frank explained this will be discussed further in Executive Session, so in open meeting this narrative will be just in-general.

Frank shared and reviewed a document, “WSESD FY23 Budget.” Highlights included:

A request for an increase of $450,000, to be discussed during negotiations.
The tax impact will be insignificant: it will go from $1.616 to $1.63, with the CLA.

This request was prompted by data, which arrived on January 12, from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics indicating a dramatic inflation increase.

Frank shared a document, “Table A. Percent Changes in Consumer Price Index,” showing these figures, from the following website: BLS.gov/news.release/cpi-nr0.htm#

Frank said it is helpful to include this detailed information in the budget. He noted this is all contingent upon approval via negotiations with the teachers’ union.

– Preparation for Public Information Meeting & Annual Report
Tim Maciel had a question about the overall budget: Where in the budget is the funding for the investigation into the sexual assault allegations, and Dr. Overtree’s fees? Frank responded: He assumed a line item of $50,000 for this, plus $28,000 in the “legal services” line item in the SD budget, but it is still under discussion and review by the WSESD Board.

II. EXECUTIVE SESSION: TITLE 1 V.S.A. § 313(a)1B – LABOR RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES
MOTION BY SM TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER TITLE 1 V.S.A. § 313(a)1B, TO DISCUSS LABOR RELATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES. JR SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The Finance Committee entered into Executive Session at 5:15pm.
The Finance Committee rose from Executive Session at 5:38pm. They made no decisions.

III. FY23 BUDGET PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT (continued)
– Preparation for Public Information Meeting & Annual Report (continued)
Frank continued the discussion on the increase in the Consumer Price Index. He said this increase is not transitory; it will be with us for a while. Thus, he has proposed a wage and benefit increase.

Tim Maciel asked how the budget achieves the goals set forth in Act 46, specifically about equity and resource distribution across the District.

Mark responded with four examples:

1. COVID challenges were more easily navigated with a unified district because this collaboration led to combining schools and their resources, especially with remote learning and summer programming.
2. The Recovery Plan represents a unified plan.
3. While each school has autonomy, they also share a District-wide unity of goals.
4. Planning and updating the curriculum across the District is more efficient, and administrators and staff at different schools can learn from one another.

Independent Budget Review Committee Chair Kristina Naylor asked if there will be a budget surplus if the state yield information changes after the budget vote. Frank said it will not. A discussion ensued on the disconnect between the tax rate and how much the District spends, and how this works between schools, towns, taxpayers, and the state. Frank noted there may be a tax reduction, not a surplus.