Briarcliff Board of Ed Keeping Us in the Dark

Dear Briarcliff School District Resident,

The Board of Education refuses to tell us how much money it is spending this year, but wants us to risk requiring a 60% percent vote by busting the property tax cap (a 10% tax increase for Mt. Pleasant residents and 5% increase for Ossining residents). They want us to believe that they need to eliminate 11 teaching positions and fire 23 teaching assistants when they won't even tell us how much they are spending in the current year. Some child will lose her teacher or teaching assistant because the Board is keeping us in the dark. The BOE continues to demonstrate a complete lack of basic financial understanding and their absence of financial oversight is alarming.

Conspicuously absent from the April 8, 2013 meeting presentation were details or totals of the estimated actual expenses for the current year.  Details of current year actual expenses are fundamental in order to prepare next year's budget.

The Board has only reported in February that $47,050,000 will likely be spent, but no details have been provided. However, Board Members continually hinted on April 8, 2013 that the number will change by June 30, 2013.  It is very strange to omit this most important piece of budget information, as this number determines how much money will remain at the end of the year and will be available to spend next year. Without an analysis of this year's expenses it is impossible to determine whether next year's budget is reasonable. Perhaps that's their goal.

The Board's refusal to release District current spending is a financial red flag. I believe the information is being withheld because they don't want us to know. How can they continually assert that only $125,000 will be left over at the end of this year when they won't give us the details of how much they are spending this year. This highlights that $125,000 is likely nothing more than a fabrication. 

Based upon my forensic accounting work, using the limited documents that have been made available to the public, I indicated that the District may have as much as $1,500,000 of funds at June 30, 2013 to use as it wishes on our children's education.

At the Board meeting, I highlighted several questionable mid-year financial adjustments that cause me concern. I have formally asked for the details of these transactions, but I have received nothing. I believe if we were provided information about these transactions, we may discover that the District will not spend as much money as the Board has previously told us. This would allow us to have more money for next year and may give an indication that next year's budget is inflated. 

The Board is getting so frustrated by my sincere questions that at the March 19, 2013 BOE meeting, Board President Sal Maglietta approached me after my public comments, as I sat in the audience, and attempted to intimidate me, in my opinion, in order to prevent me from exercising my First Amendment right to freedom of speech. When it was my second opportunity to speak during public comments, I was abruptly cut off at three minutes, while the next speaker was not only allowed, but encouraged, to speak for nine minutes. This episode was a violation of my civil rights.

On April 9, the Board President wrote to two community members and me to have a Board member and the Assistant Superintendent meet privately to discuss the budget.  We responded that the meeting should be held in public in the interest of the transparency that the community is searching for. However, the Board needs to provide us, in advance, with all the information we requested to be able to analyze the situation and make a meaningful contribution. The information should be made available on the website and all interested community members should be able to contribute, as this is a matter concerning many more than three people. The Board should conduct an emergency public meeting, as time is of the essence. 

There is no doubt in my mind that we can arrive at a tax cap compliant budget that does not fire a single teacher or teaching assistant while maintaining our modified sports programs and co-curricular clubs. The only thing that is keeping the Board from accomplishing this appears to be the will to do so.

Regards,

Paul