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Walton pitches early budgeting, grants and transparency as fiscal strategy
Summary
Mark Walton told the board he starts budgeting in February, prioritizes conservative enrollment projections and grant-seeking, and uses a public site to show how sinking-fund and bond dollars are spent.
When asked about budget experience, Walton said the largest district budget he personally oversaw as superintendent was $24,100,000 and that he also has experience at state level with much larger budgets. He described budget work as year-round: "You start in February" and urged conservative student-count projections, early grant identification, and transparency in how funds are spent.
On millage and sinking-fund work, Walton recounted a bond campaign that lost by 600 votes but said the campaign generated strong turnout; he also described publishing itemized sinking-fund expenditures ("$328,000 goes into Sunnyview elementary") and argued "promises made, promises kept" is key to trust. He recommended visible reporting and community marketing as part of fiscal stewardship.
