by ConVal School Board Member Jim Fredrickson
November 13, 2020
There’s a lot going on these days in the greater ConVal community with the operation of our schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the elections, and the fast-approaching winter.
The school year began on July 1, professional development for teachers and other staff in August, and classes in September. We’ve done our best to keep you informed as we reopened and implemented outdoor learning, monitored the presence of the coronavirus in the community, managed an issue with our tent supplier, and made decisions on fall and winter sports.
There’s also been a high level of financial activity going on behind the scenes. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our budgets since March. The School Board and administration have implemented almost weekly meetings since March and we’ve made some significant changes in the way we manage our operations and expenses. Federal and state programs to help with some of the unanticipated expenses are ongoing and seemingly ever changing.
We also have some significant financial milestones coming up (or recently completed), including:
- Negotiation of a new contract with the Contoocook Valley Education Association (representing teachers, special service professionals, and paraprofessionals)
- Allocation of taxes to the various towns in the District
- Development of our proposed budget for the 2021-22 school year
- Deliberative Sessions in February and March – when you’ll be able to vote on the new contract and the proposed budget along with any other “Warrant Articles” that are included on the ballot.
This may not be as newsworthy as some of the other activities mentioned above, but it’s all important and we want to keep you informed as we continue to manage the financial side of the house.
Between now and the end of January, we plan on issuing an array of financial communications including press releases and a series of relatively brief and targeted articles addressing some of the above financial topics. We will also be publishing our third annual “School Budget Primer” in January which will provide a more detailed discussion and analysis of the proposed budget and any other warrant articles.
These will all be available on the ConVal School Board website schoolboard.convalsd.net.
We’ll let you know when we post new material. Stay tuned.