Paul Hendrickson, middle, the school district’s business manager, with all the members of his five-person department — Phyllis Massina, Barbara Perkes, Pam Knipe and Patricia Flynn, which controls the schools’ $85-million budget. Mr. Hendrickson is holding up the district’s budget book, which was recognized by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education this year. He’s also holding up the Award of Excellence for Education Communications plaque that CABE gave the schools on June 23. —Steve Coulter photo
The school’s budget book — with its 1,000 lines for items such as energy, transportation, and building repairs — is just a bunch of numbers that, when added up, represent the totality of the district’s spending. Right?
“It’s more than just numbers,” said Paul Hendrickson, the district’s business manager, who oversees the inch-and-a-half-thick binder. “It’s a road map of where we are and where we’re going. We use it throughout the year to measure ourselves.”
His department was recognized for the budget book and its clarity.
The Connecticut Association of Board of Education recognized the school’s business department with the Award of Excellence for Educational Communications for the 2013-2014 budget book earlier this month.
Mr. Hendrickson accepted the plaque from CABE, which started giving out the award in 1975 for districts that effectively communicated with parents and taxpayers, on June 23.
The criteria that the winner must meet include readability and editing; graphics and photography; type and typesetting; format and presentation; design and layout; and value of expenditure.
“We like to keep our budget transparent to the public as possible — that’s why we have budget sessions, monthly budget reviews, question and answer periods,” he said. “The more people that know about it, the better. That way they can make an informed decision about the budget when it comes to a vote.”
While Mr. Hendrickson estimates that it has more than 1,000 lines of budget numbers— for athletics, special education, and health benefits — the book does have space for words too.
“There’s a narrative that tells the district’s history at the front of the book,” he said. “And there are footnotes that describe each line item, which I think go a long way.”
It’s this attention to detail — this cooperative approach — that earned the district its praise from CABE.
Mr. Hendrickson made his first submission two years ago with the book that contained the 2012-2013 school budget, which eventually took home honorable mention in June 2013.
“It’s an early September submission deadline,” he explained. “The budget has to be in place — approved by the voters, when we go to submit it.”
With the $85,245,000 budget for the 2014-2015 school year already approved, Mr. Hendrickson has turned his focused to CABE’s next submission date on Sept. 11.
He’s already had his time with this year’s plaque and has passed it along to other members of his five-member department.
“Each person can take it for a week or two, pass it around and show it off,” he said. “It’s a good team effort; something as big and complex as this can’t be done by one person and I can’t thank the people I work with enough…
“I don’t put this thing together all by myself.”