To the editor:

Ah, it’s January in Barrington. That special time of year when we perform that annual tradition where we talk about things we can’t control and we worry if there’s going to be any consequences. No, I’m not talking about this particularly frigid winter, I’m talking about the budgets of the Town and Schools.

On Jan. 28, the Budget Forecasting Committee kicked off the first session with Chair Cynthia Rosengard quizzing the schools on significant issues, including how the schools plan to take long-term care of an impending turf field project. 

It’s not the Chair’s continued use of her position on the Budget Forecasting Committee to discuss her personal political agenda that’s worrisome. The real problem is that she and her colleagues are assiduously avoiding the most pressing question that the Budget Forecasting Committee has faced probably since its inception: Barrington Public Schools never receives the full amount of money put forward by the Budget Forecasting Committee — or the final amount approved by the voters at the Financial Town Meeting.

In violation of state law, according to School Committee legal counsel, the Town withdraws money for services rendered before giving the Schools what’s left of the voter-approved appropriation. No contracts, no documentation, and sometimes — like last March — with no notice.
While our elected officials have known about this for almost a year, it appears that no one wants to talk about the uncomfortable truth: a non-zero portion of the Town’s budget depends on controlling and accessing the School’s Appropriation on an as-needed basis.

Just prior to the recent November election, at a joint meeting of the Town and Schools, the Barrington Town Council decided not to act on the matter. Instead, the Schools were advised to advocate for a more clearly outlined Town Charter. I’ll give you one guess who controls what changes are put forth to the voters for updating the Town Charter (hint, it’s not the Schools). 

The first step to transparent and effective fiscal management is coming to terms with how things are being run today. The Budget Forecasting Committee, supposedly our watchdog for fiscal responsibility, cannot afford to be silent on this breach of proper financial management. 

To be honest, I’m not sure if the taxpayers of Barrington can afford their silence either.  

Patrick McCrann

Barrington