Purpose:

The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) is an ad hoc committee charged with developing recommendations to share with the Superintendent and, ultimately, the Governing Board of Trustees, with respect to imminent budget challenges facing the Gateway Unified School District. The Committee’s purpose is not to audit the District’s financial operations, but to become familiar with the District’s financial data in order to offer suggestions to help improve the District’s fiscal position moving forward. Ideally, these recommendations would be put forward by the Committee by consensus.

Parameters:

• The BAC starts with a staff recommendation for the budget solutions, created by district departments as a starting point for its deliberations. It is free to recommend changes to the budget, keeping in mind the necessity to pass a balanced budget.
• Assist the District in reviewing possible solutions with a view toward increasing efficiencies and savings in future years
• Review District appropriations and expenditures in anticipation of 2019-20 Budget development
• Focus on non-negotiable areas (negotiable areas are between bargaining unit negotiations committees)
• Generate ideas for possible solutions for:
  • Savings
  • Shared services
  • Alternative revenues
• The District will cooperate and assist the Committee by making available relevant and requested, non-confidential, financial information.
• The Committee will provide a report of recommendations to the Superintendent.
• All policy-making and financial authority remains, as it must by statute, with the Governing Board of Trustees.
• As always, the Governing Board of Trustees makes the final decision on the Budget approval.

Membership:

The Committee consists of (1) Committee Chair and (9) members; including (2) GTA Representatives, (2) CSEA Representatives, (2) District Leadership Representatives, (1) Parent Representative, (1) Community Member and (1) High School Student.

Timeline: