HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-07-CEC-minMinutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
Date, Place, and Location: February 7, 2012 8:00 A.M., Cary Memorial Building, Ellen
Stone Room
Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; Ted Edson, Vice - Chair; Bill Hurley; Shirley Stolz;
David Kanter
Other Attendee: Mary Ellen Dunn, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Business
Operations
Documents Presented:
1. Pending Draft, Lexington Public Schools 2013 School Committee Budget
"REVENUE OFFSETS ", cover dated "as of January 3, 2012 ", interior dated "as of
February 15, 2012"
2. "Strawman" Capital Expenditures Committee Report to the 2012 Annual Town
Meeting & 2012 Special Town Meeting, April 2, 2012 distributed February 6, 2012.
("Strawman Report ")
Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 8:00 A.M.
Approve Meeting Minutes: A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Minutes of
the January 31, 2012, meeting as presented. Vote: 5 -0
Committee's "Strawman" Report: The Committee reviewed that draft and also confirmed
the voting indicated in it reflected the earlier "strawman" votes the Committee had taken.
Proposed Changes to the FY2013 School Committee Budget.
Ms. Dunn explained the revenue offsets, which include selective use of FY2012 operating
funds for some things originally planned for FY2013 capital funding, in order to address
$632,645 of needs not previously addressed in the School's FY2013 budget. Those
included deferring a reduction in the Occupational Therapist /Certified Occupational
Therapist Assistant staffing, elimination of the fee for Kindergarten, reducing the busing fee
for Estabrook School student by 50% for the two years of construction of the new
Estabrook School, and eliminating elementary - school music fees.
The Committee asked whether there are additional uses of the School's currently
anticipated FY2012 surplus that could further mitigate the need for additional FY2013
funding. Ms. Dunn said not at this time as there are no other School efforts planned for
FY2013 that can be properly executed in FY2012. As in the past, any FY2012 School
surplus remaining after accounting for all the FY2012 actions flows back into Free Cash
which, once certified, is available for any Town need — School or Municipal —in FY2013 or
later.
Ms. Stolz asked what indication was there that additional parents of Estabrook students
would be willing to put their children on buses because of the lower busing fee. Ms. Dunn
said that the full fee is a deterrent so the 50% fee should be an important factor and that the
Page 1 of 2
busing contract is being re -bid with expanded options that should also make busing more
appealing. The changes to the School Budget include $150,000 to cover the likelihood of
needing two additional buses along with the reduced revenue. She noted that only 12% of
the Estabrook students currently walk to school.
Specific capital - related changes that reduce the FY2013 budget include shifting $100,000
for furniture to the FY2012 operating budget, reducing by $50,000 the School technology
request because of a reduced cost to implement the electron ic-wh iteboard concept, and
shifting the Modification of Existing Classroom for the Diamond School Intensive Learning
Program ($32,685) and the Assessment of Needed Room Modifications for Hearing
Impaired Students ($40,000) to the FY2012 operating budget as both can begin in FY2012.
Mr. Edson noted that the remaining capital request for furniture, at $83,000, is below
$125,000 threshold for a multiple -item capital purchase. He also noted that when it was at
$183,000, the plan was for it to be funded with debt.
Ms. Dunn said that the Board of Selectmen would be approached on supporting the
proposed adjustments — including Municipal support of the $150,000 supplement toward the
Estabrook busing and also the $150,000 supplement toward the no -fee Kindergarten as the
State's additional funding for a no -fee Kindergarten (anticipated to be $150,000) isn't
provided until the following fiscal year (i.e., in this case, in FY2014).
Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 9:30 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 5 -0
These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on February 28, 2012.
Page 2of2