When the North Colonie Central School District Budget Committee first met last year, its members were excited to get a closer look at the process in which administrators decide where money will go throughout the district.
This year, its new members will see firsthand how the allocation of money makes a difference in their own schooling.
As the budget season begins to pick up steam, this year’s committee has added four students to the group, giving them the opportunity to understand some of the more painstaking decisions district administrators have to make when it comes to education.
According to Superintendent of Schools Randy Ehrenberg, the committee is made up of a broad range of people throughout the district: parents, PTA members, teachers and now students. Ehrenberg said she was inspired to have students join the committee after she learned of their interest when visiting a participation in government class at Shaker High School. She said the questions students asked her when she spoke of the budget were at times challenging for her to answer, showing that the students had an interest in the budget process.
The suggestion came from a student to have them on the committee,` she said.
This is not the first time students have been involved in a committee that helps determine the fate of a district proposition. According to Board President Joan Hart, two students were on the committee that looked at the annexation of the Maplewood School District, which became a reality this past summer.
`I think adding the students to [this committee] will really add a lot to it,` said Hart, who said the students are very conscious of everything that goes on within their school and in the district.
President of the Bought Hills PTA Dave Gaynor said having the students be a part of the committee will be an informative and exciting experience for all committee members.
`I just think it’s a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the budget process and see exactly how hard the school district and the administrators work on this,` said Gaynor. `The budget committee, along with the board, goes through every line of this, and it’s a tremendous effort.`
Balancing the needs of the district against the tax rate district residents will be paying is always one of the more difficult challenges the committee is faced with, according to parent committee member David Cohen.
`One of the first things you look at is where the tax rates go,` said Cohen.
At the same time, Cohen said, the committee looks at where there are increases in staff and why they are needed.
For this year’s budget, Cohen said he is not aware of any increases in staff, so he `doesn’t have an axe to grind,` he said.
While Cohen was unaware that students would be joining the committee this year, he said that, `While I don’t know that it will do anything for the committee, it will hopefully do something for the students. It is a very informative and detailed process, and they still have a lot to learn.`
Cohen, who works in business management, said that in the past two years he has been on the committee, he has felt like he’s made a difference in the budget, and it has granted him the opportunity to understand what the board has done and why they have done it. In addition, he was able to see the importance of the community in the budget process.
`Having people care for it is very valuable to the community,` he said. `That attention to detail wouldn’t be as highly informative as it currently is if it were not for [community involvement.]`
Cohen said he hopes that the committee brings on `deserving students` that will gain the educational aspects from their experience.
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