Cohasset PS Annual Budget Policy (DB)
Preparation of the annual budget will be scheduled in stages throughout the school year with attention to certain deadlines established by law and charter.
By October first of each year the Superintendent will submit to the School Committee for approval a calendar of events for developing a budget for the next fiscal year. The calendar will include, but not be limited to, the following events:
- Budget overview - A general review by the Superintendent of the proposed budget emphasizing gross costs, programs to be added or deleted, and an estimate of total expenditures.
- Tentative budget - The School Committee will adopt a tentative annual budget in sufficient time to allow for presentation of the budget in local news media and in sufficient time to allow the preparation of handout information for the school budget hearing. The tentative budget will contain all anticipated costs and will itemize all anticipated revenue so that the information presented at the school budget hearing will be as complete as possible.
- Tentative date for Public Hearing - In reaching its decision on the budget amount that it will submit to the Town Manager, the School Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget not less than seven days after the notice for this hearing has been published in a local newspaper. The public hearing will be at least thirty days before the scheduled Annual Town Meeting at which time the operating budget will be voted upon.
- Budget to Be Considered at Annual Town Meeting - The School District operating budget that is forwarded to the Town Manager for inclusion in the Annual Town Meeting operating budget warrant article as certified by the School Committee prior to its transmission to the Town Manager.
- Final Budget - The final budget to be adopted by the School Committee by formal vote in an open meeting.
The calendar year for budget preparation will be determined by calculating backwards from the final adoption date: the Annual Town Meeting. Close coordination with the Town Manager is essential
