The Budget

By David S. Stromberg

We have critical budgetary issues facing the Governing Board.

Unfortunately, there are additional demands that will eat up this 2% increase, and more. We will have a declining enrollment in the District starting next year, and fewer students means less State funds. A serious and divisive issue that the Governing Board needs to address immediately is the whopping increase in health care premiums that the District currently pays for its teachers and full-time employees. The total projected increase for health care premiums for this year alone is $315,000, or the amount of the 2% COLA increase.

We need to become lean and mean in our budgetary analysis and approach. As a member of the Governing Board, I intend to explore all issues and options as comprehensively as possible, leaving no stone unturned before I vote. When I do vote, my litmus test will be whether and what expenditure will best improve or enhance the quality of the education provided by the District.

I bring a unique skills set to the Governing Board, as a businessperson with experience and expertise in addressing tough budgetary issues; as a mediator who knows how to facilitate discussion and dialogue to achieve a voting consensus; and as an attorney who knows how to ask the necessary questions to explore issues fully before making any decision. I am a parent of four boys in the Lafayette School District (7th grade, 4th grade, and twin Kindergartners). I am a long-term resident of Lafayette who is committed to keeping the quality of our schools and our property values as high as can be.