2018-19 School Budget – Getting Ready to Vote

2018-19 School Budget – Getting Ready to Vote

 

“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”

Most of us will recognize that quote as having originated with Thomas Jefferson — Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence and singer of one of the more underrated songs from “Hamilton.”

Except there’s one minor issue with one of Jefferson’s most famous and oft-cited quotes: he never said it.

According to the folks at Monticello, which has been maintained for 90 years by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Jefferson never wrote those words. Or, according to their research, ever spoke them aloud.

But that shouldn’t negate the message delivered by this famous but fabricated quote. If anything, it should underscore it: When making big decisions, it sure helps to know what we’re talking about.

This is the first of a series of weekly emails you’ll be receiving from PT Council leading up to the School District Budget Vote on Tuesday, May 15th. You’ll continue to hear from the District and from the Board of Education, as well, but every year around this time we step in to try to help the parent community make sense of this vitally important process. By making sure everyone knows where to access accurate information, we hope to minimize misunderstandings and misconceptions about the Budget. Even if TJ never said it, we agree with him on the whole educated citizenry thing.

Here’s an overview of where we are in the process, what’s coming up on the Budget calendar, and how our parent community can participate. Read on, and you’ll never have to wonder, as Jefferson did at the start of Act II, “What’d I miss?”

* Board of Education votes TONIGHT to adopt a budget. The Board will meet Tuesday, April 17th, at 7:00 p.m. in the MHS Tiered Classroom. State law mandates that a budget be adopted a certain amount of time before the community vote; tonight is the night that will happen.

* The Budget, once adopted, will appear on the Budget Page of the District website. For now, you can visit the page and find the current Superintendent’s Recommended Budget, as well as a host of other materials that will help you make sense of it. If you’d like to watch any of the Board meetings during which the Budget has been discussed, they’ve all been recorded and are available in the LMC-TV archives.

* Who votes? A lot of people move here from New York City or elsewhere who have never had to vote for a school budget before. One-third of our school community has moved here within the last three years, so not everyone is aware that this opportunity and responsibility exists. (Tell your new friends!) If you are an American citizen, at least 18 years old and have been a resident of the district for more than 30 days, you are eligible — and encouraged — to vote. If you are not already registered to vote, you can do so by visiting the District Clerk’s office in Mamaroneck High School any weekday between 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. You must be registered by May 10th at 4:00 p.m.

* On May 15th, everyone will vote at their local elementary school: Central, Chatsworth, Mamaroneck Avenue or Murray. If you are not going to be in town to vote in person, you can vote by Absentee Ballot. It’s an easy two-step process:
Click here to download an Absentee Ballot application. After you submit your application, a ballot will be mailed to you prior to May 8th (if you need an absentee ballot after that date, you can pick one up in person at the District Clerk’s office prior to May 14th at 4:00 p.m.).
Submit your ballot to the District Clerk no later than Tuesday, May 15th at 5:00 p.m.
* One thing is certain . . . even after reading this email, reviewing all the documents on the District’s Budget page and viewing all the videos of recent Board meetings, you’re still going to have questions. Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps and/or members of the Board of Education will continue to make themselves available out in the community. Recently, they spoke with seniors at the Mamaroneck Senior Center and participated in the Summitt Meeting with leaders of local non-profit organizations, and they will meet with Larchmont Newcomers Club members later this week. Over the next several weeks, there will be multiple opportunities for you to ask your questions directly to the people best-suited to answer them (dates and locations subject to change):

MON, April 23rd, 9:00 a.m.: MHS and SEPTA PTA general membership meeting (MHS Library)

TUE, April 24th, 7:00 p.m.: Central PTA general membership meeting (LGI)

WED, April 25th, 7:00 p.m.: Hommocks PTA general membership meeting (HMX Library)

FRI, April 27th, 9:15 a.m.: Chatsworth PTA general membership meeting (Winnie the Pooh Cafeteria)

MON, April 30th, 9:15 a.m.: Superintendent’s Coffee (RSVP to receive address — space is limited)

MON, April 30th, 7:00 p.m.: Mamaroneck Avenue PTA general membership meeting (All-Purpose Room)

WED, May 2nd, 6:00 p.m.: Superintendent’s Coffee (RSVP to receive address — space is limited)

FRI, May 4th, 9:15 a.m.: Murray PTA general membership meeting (Lunchroom)

MON, May 7th, 9:15 a.m.: Superintendent’s Coffee (RSVP to receive address — space is limited)

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