Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Volunteer task force urges Kensington board to pursue fiscal transparency and consolidation study after budget defeat
Summary
A resident representing the Kensington Volunteer Education Task Force read a two-page statement urging the board to engage citizens on consolidation options, publish detailed budget line items, and commission an independent fiscal review after voters rejected the FY2027 operating budget and the district moved to a default budget.
A Kensington resident, speaking for the Kensington Volunteer Education Task Force, urged the school board on April 7 to engage the public on spending, provide fuller budget transparency and commission an independent fiscal review after voters rejected the district's proposed FY2027 operating budget.
The speaker, Albert Dano of Kensington, read a two-page statement into the record alleging enrollment declines across the region and rising administrative costs; he said the task force proposed a "right sized" model and sought collaboration that the group says did not receive a formal response from the board. "As fiduciaries of public funds, school board members have a responsibility to act with prudence, diligence and in the best interest of the district's students, families and taxpayers," Dano read.
Dano cited specific financial figures in his remarks, saying the FY2027 operating budget that voters rejected was $4,800,000 and that the district will operate under a default budget of $4,700,000. The statement also alleged the FY2025 budget had been overbudgeted by approximately $300,000 and referenced pending litigation in Rockingham Superior Court concerning the denial of citizen-petition warrant articles (docket numbers read into the record).
The task force asked the board to take three actions: 1) engage constructively with the Kensington Volunteer Education Task Force on practical solutions and consolidation options; 2) post more detailed budget, contract line-item and trend information on the school board website ahead of deliberative sessions; and 3) commission and publicly release an independent third-party annual fiscal report for the roughly $4.7 million budget.
The board accepted the statement for the meeting record. The chair noted that "the record is what you read into the meeting minutes," and the meeting proceeded to the next agenda item without a public board response to the specific requests. The letter was left with the board for inclusion in the meeting materials.
