Meeting of the Lincoln Finance Committee
March 12, 2009
Present: P. Braun, S. Haber, J. Koenig, E. Shorb, L. Sander, R. Steinbrook (chair)
Absent: M. Hartman
Minutes submitted by: R. Steinbrook
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
The Chair moved that the committee go into executive session for the purpose of discussing committee membership with the moderator, Jack French; following the executive session, the committee would reconvene in open session. By a vote of 6-0, the committee voted in favor of the motion.
The committee met in executive session with the moderator until 7:30 pm.
The committee then went into open session.
The minutes of the meeting of February 26, 2009 were approved.
The committee reviewed the warrant articles for Town Meeting. By votes of 6-0, the committee voted to support these articles as being in the best financial interests of the Town:
Article 20, GASB 45--Trust Fund
Article 28, Stabilization Fund for Lincoln's public high school students
Article 39, Section 18 acceptance, retiree health care
By votes of 6-0, the committee voted to oppose these articles as being contrary to the financial interests of the Town:
Article 32, Ad hoc study committee, group homes
Article 33, Town control of group homes.
With regard to Article 28, the difference between the appropriation under Article 7 for the Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School and the FY '10 Lincoln assessment is $86,836, based on the current Sudbury budget for the high school.
The chair reported that per pupil data for FY '08 are now available on the website of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Total expenditures per pupil for Lincoln (Hanscom and Lincoln campuses) were $17,926. Total expenditures per pupil for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School were $15,549.
The committee discussed expenditures per pupil at the Lincoln Public Schools. As compared to most other school districts in the state, Lincoln's per pupil expenditures are high. The committee discussed the importance of the School Committee making a public case that the students and the taxpayers are getting value for their money.
Ellen Meyer Shorb, liaison to the K-8 schools will ask the Superintendent, Mickey Brandmeyer, and the Chair of the Lincoln School Committee, Julie Dobrow, for a joint meeting of the School Committee and the Finance Committee to discuss these data.
The committee discussed affordable housing and the activities of the Affordable Housing Trust. It also discussed the long term planning process and a forthcoming HATS meeting on March 26, 2009 with regard to regionalization.
The committee next meets on Wednesday March 18, 2009 for its annual budget hearing.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 pm.
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