Superintendent Invites Families To Budget Forums

Coming up this month, town residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on budget priorities for the coming school year. In an email sent recently to local media by Wakefield Superintendent of Schools Stephen Zrike, residents are encouraged to come and participate at one of the two upcoming forums. Below is the text of his letter: 

Dear Wakefield Families,  

We are requesting your support to help shape the school budget priorities for the 2014-15 school year.  Please join us for one of two public community forums that will happen in the coming weeks.  

The first will be at the Woodville Elementary School on Thursday, January 9th from 7-8:30 pm.  This event is rescheduled from the Dec. 17th event that was cancelled due to weather.  The second will be at the Dolbeare Elementary School on Wednesday, January 15th from 7-8:30pm.  These forums are open to all families regardless of which school your child attends.      

 This will be an opportunity for the broader community to learn more about my initial findings related to where we'll want to focus our budget in the 2014-15 school year.  That is, we hope to gather input on my entry observations and their implications for emerging district budget priorities.  We are eager to hear the community's ideas and feedback on best supporting our children's learning. It is critical that we hear the public's thoughts in advance of submitting our budget proposal to the School Committee, the town's Finance Committee and ultimately to Town Meeting in May.
This is part of our larger effort to make the budget process more transparent to our constituents.  It is our goal to demystify the process and allow for increased public voice prior to the submission of the final budget.   I want to thank you in advance for your participation and engagement as we design a fiscal plan that best supports the needs of Wakefield's children.
Sincerely,
Dr. Zrike