Finance Committee Minutes
Wellfleet Finance Committee
July 12, 2017
Wellfleet Senior Center, 715 Old Kings Hwy
Present: Chair Janet Loewenstein, Vice-Chair Arlene Kirsch, Kathy Granlund, Fred Magee, Linda Pellegrino, Stephen Polowczyk, Robert Wallace, Ira Wood
Others Present: Town Administrator Dan Hoort; Town Accountant Connie Boulos;
Brewster Finance Committee Members Charles DeVito and Herbert Montgomery; Nauset Superintendent of Schools Thomas Conrad;
Chair Janet Loewenstein called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
Discussion with Superintendent of Schools Thomas Conrad
In a question and answer session with the Wellfleet Finance Committee and invited guests from the Brewster Finance Committee, Superintendent of Schools. Thomas Conrad addressed their budgetary concerns and offered observations of his own regarding the future direction of the Nauset Regional School System.
Renovation of the Nauset Regional High School facility proceed according to a strict formula by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Mr. Conrad said. He explained the composition of the Building Committee, the first MSBA requirement. The Building Committee has been considering the questions from all the towns, he said.
Mr. Conrad said the original buildings were well constructed; the concrete walls are solid. He had been on the committee that oversaw the replacement of windows and the roof. The HVAC system is the greatest problem for the entire campus. The underground tunnels are fatigued and, in one case, damaged. A new heating system is suggested instead of retrofitting the old heating system. Because they have been collaborating with MIT on another program, Mr. Conrad said he is interested in getting their input on the heating system. This would include solar options. Cape Cod Light Compact has agreed to redo lighting throughout the campus. The plan now is to have the renovations in place by 2050.
Mr. Conrad said that the participating towns’ share of maintenance costs would not be known for at least 18 months. That report is a part of Module 1, the first step. There will be additional points for funding, he said.
Another big question concerned enrollment. A subcommittee has been brainstorming on how to assess the enrollment information. The state has presented two questions: consideration of grades besides 9 through 12 and School Choice. These questions will be addressed at an upcoming meeting, Mr. Conrad said. All the towns will need to discuss the possible inclusion of grade 6 at the high school. Mr. Conrad said the consideration now is only for adding eighth grade to the Eastham campus. He mentioned limiting areas of the building to lower grades if they were to be added.
Mr. Montgomery of the Brewster Finance Committee said Brewster has a potential elementary school merger, but they need to know a decision about the grade inclusion and if grades 6 and 7 would be continued at the Orleans school facility.
Mr. Conrad expanded upon the impact on cost if grades are added to the school. He discussed the ability to offer additional classes that attract School Choice. He said small numbers of students do not change the cost. The revenue became greater as more students chose Nauset Regional. He said the balance needs to be calculated by the numbers of students and the revenue brought in by choice. The state sets a number for School Choice. He said students from Bourne to Provincetown now attend Nauset Regional.
Mr. Conrad discussed the inclusion of Provincetown in the Nauset Regional School System and the possible additional funding they might provide. At this point they attend purely by tuition. Mr. Conrad addressed the money factor in School Choice. If enrollment goes down, the elective courses are the areas that would be affected. He said 60% or 80% schedules for teachers were another cost reduction consideration. He was also asked for information on possible reductions in programs, administrative staff and human resource personnel.
Bus transportation was a program that everyone commented on because of the use of large buses for only a few students. Mr. Conrad said there has only been a single bid for school buses on the Lower Cape. He has personally ridden on each bus to get a sense of the transportation situation. He said he will be getting a transportation subcommittee this fall. Finance Committees will be invited to hear about an alternate system when the proposal is ready. He asked if it made sense for Wellfleet to invest in school vans that could be shared with other groups such as the COA. He also wants to work with parents regarding drop-offs and the impact on buses. The school system is still obliged to be able to pick up every student even though they don’t all use the buses. Mr. Conrad discussed use of vehicles with drivers for Special Needs students. They need the Collaborative to help transport students to other schools that can meet their needs.
Student numbers have remained very steady, Mr. Conrad said. The International Baccalaureate(IB) program has attracted of number of School Choice students to Nauset. Another attraction is a partnership Nauset has been working on with MIT on an autonomous car. The project is being done completely through donations. Nauset is the only high school in the country that is participating in the program.
Mr. Conrad discussed the numbers of teachers as affected by School Choice. Arlene Kirsch asked about a state-wide discussion of School Choice. Mr. Conrad has discussed this with Senator Julian Cyr, a Nauset High graduate. The Superintendent said that a student should be paying the same amount no matter what school he or she chooses.
Mr. Conrad said he has been looking at how the towns can share more. The high school has excellent field equipment which the elementary schools could borrow.
Committee members discussed future use of information technology that could supplant the traditional classroom. Mr. Conrad is concerned about staffing. Personnel is around 90% of school costs. His focus is on improved learning; the school needs to have the staff that is most effective. Town Administrator Dan Hoort commented on the school bus situation. He said he had prepared Wellfleet’s 5-year Financial Forecast. This relates to numbers of students enrolled in the Nauset Regional Schools. He said the increase in school budget is often a result of enrollment.
Transfers
Town Accountant Connie Boulos and Town Administrator Dan Hoort presented the end of the year transfers. The Town Accountant had attached explanations for every item and answered questions about particular transfers. Dan Hoort discussed tightening up the individual department lines for the next budget. Finance Committee members still wanted details on the Item 19 transfer of funds to the Beach Department of salaries.
Arlene Kirsch moved to approve all 26 the end of the Fiscal Year 2017 Transfers. Linda Pellegrino seconded, and the motion carried 8-0.
Minutes
Stephen Polowczyk moved to approve the corrected minutes of the June 28, 2017 meeting. Kathy Granlund seconded, and the motion carried 8-0.
Liaison Reports
Arlene Kirsch anticipated that the Police Department building would come in under budget.
Budget Task Force
Vice-Chair Arlene Kirsch suggested forming a Budget Task Force that will examine the Budget carefully within the 2 ½ parameters. Arlene Kirsch will take the lead on organizing a task force. She read from the Annual Town Warrant message by the Finance Committee that sates they will create a Budget Task Force.
Kathy Granlund suggested holding a joint meeting with the Selectmen instead of creating another committee. Finance Committee would like to receive the details of the Budget as soon as possible. The big missing piece last year was the School Committee Budget. There was also a high override that Finance Committee was not willing to accept. Finance Committee said they had received the information piecemeal. Arlene Kirsch said the key was to see the overall budget before the department heads are brought in to discuss their budgets.
Dan Hoort explained that there was a big difference in how the Wellfleet Selectmen reviewed the Budget in comparison with his experience with Provincetown Budget process. Dan Hoort invited Arlene Kirsch to come discuss organization of a Budget Task Force.
Strategic Planning
Janet Loewenstein said that Fred Magee would offer more structure on strategic planning at the September 27th meeting. Fred gave a little background on what strategic planning entails in terms of finance. He will present material at the meeting.
Agenda for Next Meeting
The September meeting agenda will include: Strategic Planning Presentation by Fred Magee; Transfers; Liaison Reports; Correspondence and Minutes.
Adjournment
Ira Wood moved to adjourn. Linda Pellegrino seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Rogers, Secretary
Public Records material of 7/12/17
End of the Year Transfers