Howard County Council of PTA members are calling on the school system to allow residents more time to review the budget before a public comment period is scheduled.
“We believe that the public should be given a longer period of time to digest the material before formal public testimony,” said PTA president Mary Jane Barbato-Grauso to the School Board.
“… Several times for public testimony would be more appropriate and perhaps inform your own decision.”
PTA council delegates Ginger Segala, Teri Chiu, Vicki Imre and Nehemiah Spence joined Barbato-Grauso to present their testimony at the public hearing Tuesday on Superintendent Sydney Cousin?s 2009 fiscal year operating budget.
Cousin unveiled his budget Jan. 3 and then presented it to the school board.
“We typically try to give at least 30 days,” said school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan.
“The hearing this year is about a week early. We?re sometimes constrained by other aspects of the calendar.”
Any decision to extend this time frame or hold public hearings on multiple days would be a decision of the School Board, she said.
The PTA also suggested that the board consider having two budget formats.
One would be based on state criteria, as is currently used, and the other would be based on strategic initiatives that would give residents a chance to see how the budget would affect various programs, Barbato-Grauso said.
The strategic initiatives component could break the budget into a total budget for student assessments, tutoring, remedial activities, technology or improvement, she said.
The School Board?s first public work session on the budget will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the board of education building on Route 108.
