The Budget Stabilization Task Force continued its discussion of potential recommendations and reviewed a preliminary survey at the Nov. 7 meeting. The 10th meeting of the task force also included a continued presentation from the staffing and compensation subcommittee. The task force will present and overview of its process at the Nov. 12 Board of Trustees work session.

Here are three things to know as the task force moves forward:

1. The staffing and compensation subcommittee presented its findings after meeting extensively over the last two weeks. The group shared its difficulty in making definitive decisions that may impact the future of the district on a relatively short timeline. One recommendation from the committee focused on next steps for community engagement, including committee work, possibly carried forward by the standing Budget and Finance Advisory Committee, based on the BSTF over a two-to-three year timeframe. However, if BFAC moves forward with the work, the subcommittee stressed the need for rigorous and thoughtful examination of the issues and the long-term impacts of decisions be included in the process. More opportunities to share the work with the community and gather meaningful feedback was also recommended.
2. The Task Force reviewed the results of their preliminary survey which included options from both the efficiencies and departments and the revenue and programs subcommittees. The online survey was completed by task force members to begin narrowing potential recommendations. The report revealed a high degree of consensus around many options, though some potential recommendations will require further discussion to settle on final language. One member noted the survey format may have under-reported the level of consensus and suggested that the final survey is modified to have more options to capture individual comments without changing the sentiment of the answer.
3. As the task force work is winding down, there was extensive discussion about whether the group had considered all options that are truly available to balance the budget. Early in the process, the task force requested a list of budget options the district has considered in the past and options that peer districts have implemented. The intent was for the list to act as a jumping off point, but because of the sheer size of the list, members had to first wrap their heads around the options put in front of them before getting creative about ideas that might not be on the list.

Learn more about the presentations, questions and discussion during the meeting at the BSTF website.