Town of Braintree

How can they do that?

Posted in: Braintree
How is it that the school department can award pay raises and not have town meeting vote to approve funding? I have been told that the superintendent ''found'' the money in his budget. If that is true his budget must be full of fat and inflated with hidden money. Didn't he say at town meeting that his budget was bare bones? How can it be if he can fund $400,000 for pay raises? Where is the watchdog group otherwise known as the finance committee? I guess if we check out the members of that committee they all have a connection to the school department.

By No school children
Investigation needed

If what you're saying is true the board of selectmen should contact the police department and district attorney and have the finance committee and the school committee investigated. Sounds like a conspiracy by the two committees to hide money from town meeting and taxpayers.

By Thin blue line
In The Paper

In today's Forum they said that the school committee will be presenting their budget to the finance committee next week on the 14th. After that, in March, there will be an annual public hearing on the school budget that is open to the public. You should go and ask your questions.

The money being used to pay for the teachers raises is from a state grant and part of the additional state money that came in a few months back...that's been in the paper a bunch of times. The schools cut four million $$ from their budget a two years ago, so I don't think they're rolling in dough. But questions should be asked if you think something funny's going on...just do it there in front of everybody, in the open.

By Be There
Grant

Aren't there restrictions on state grants? Are you telling me they actually give state grants to fund pay raises? I would think that if you put in for a grant you would have to identify a specific program or piece of equipment as the reason for the grant. I may be wrong, but if they used a grant to fund the pay raises as you say, they may have to explain that to whomever provided the grant. Sounds kind of funky to me. You are right about questions being asked, but I watch town meetings when the questions are asked and they are never answered directly. I know the superintendent said he made a specific amount of money when in fact he made more.

By Lou
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