To the editor:

Barrington's municipal and school department budgets for the upcoming 2019-20 Fiscal Year are now under review and action by the Committee on Appropriations (COA) during a series of weekly meetings at 7 p.m. each Tuesday in the Barrington Middle School presentation room (Room #117). 

These meetings began in February and are open to the public, and are leading up to an April 9 vote by the COA on a combined FY 2019-20 Town Budget recommendation that will eventually be presented at the town's annual budget hearing on Wednesday, May 8 and then voted on by taxpayers at the annual Financial Town Meeting (FTM) on Wednesday, May 22.

The COA welcomes comments and questions from residents about the budgets, either during public comment sections at our open meetings or submitted in writing through the town clerk's office (mdesisto@barringtonri.gov) where they are compiled for presentation at the next meeting. 

However, it is important to point out what the COA's powers and limitations are in making adjustments to the recommended budgets prior to the budget hearing and FTM. 

The COA is authorized to vote to change individual line item amounts in the recommended municipal budget developed and submitted by the town manager and approved by town council. However, for the recommended school department budget developed by the school administration and approved by the school committee, the COA can only vote to change the school department's bottom line total.

Many of the comments and questions the COA has received to-date are focused on the school department's school schedules initiative to be implemented in the 2019-20 Fiscal Year as part of the department's new strategic plan. 

While the COA welcomes taxpayer comments on this, or any issue, the COA cannot directly impact this or any specific budget line item in our April 9 final recommended budget votes and at the budget hearing, nor can any specific budget line item be changed at the FTM. 

By law, only the final bottom line total of the school department budget can be changed at the FTM. 

The school department has authority to subsequently adjust expense category allocations of that final total to best meet the needs of our town's student population in keeping with initiatives and policies developed and implemented by the department and approved by elected members of the school committee.

The school department and school committee welcome direct feedback on issues related to specific items in their recommended budget and initiatives by public comment at school committee meetings or by corresponding with school administration at their joint email address (bps-school-committee@barringtonschools.org).

Thank you.

Richard Staples

Barrington

Mr. Staples is chairman of the town's Committee on Appropriations.