MONROE - The Monroe School Board on Monday will start recruiting 20 to 25 community members to serve on an Advisory Budget Task Force to help it cope with its budgetary challenges.
The Monroe School District's Executive Committee met Tuesday to review a preliminary plan to set up a task force to help set financial priorities for the 2012-13 school year and beyond.
"I think going out and finding a cross section (of representatives) will be the most challenging piece," Superintendent Larry Brown said. "You have to go beyond the initial groups that are engaged in the school or pop in your head."
The committee discussed a tentative plan of having the task force conduct its work with an eye to reporting its findings to the school board at the end of November.
Brown said the task force would make recommendations to administrators and the school board on financial priorities they want the district to consider.
Brown said school board members could make recommendations for community members to serve on the task force.
Voters in Monroe rejected a four-year $8 million non-recurring referendum in April. The Monroe School Board has cut more than $1.7 million (5.6 percent) from the 2011-12 operating budget.
Brown made it clear what the task force's intent wouldn't include - recommendations on specific programs.
"We are not asking people to cut or throw out a program," he said. "We are asking you to tell the board what the priorities are."
Monroe School Board Vice President Bob Erb, who also serves on the Executive Committee, is a proponent of the task force.
"I think they (community members) can certainly give us great direction of what kind of choices should be made," Erb said.
Erb said the task force should be viewed as an extension of the board's work.
"By no means do I see this as passing the buck," Erb said. "It's part of our job to reach out and engage the community."
The Monroe School District's Executive Committee met Tuesday to review a preliminary plan to set up a task force to help set financial priorities for the 2012-13 school year and beyond.
"I think going out and finding a cross section (of representatives) will be the most challenging piece," Superintendent Larry Brown said. "You have to go beyond the initial groups that are engaged in the school or pop in your head."
The committee discussed a tentative plan of having the task force conduct its work with an eye to reporting its findings to the school board at the end of November.
Brown said the task force would make recommendations to administrators and the school board on financial priorities they want the district to consider.
Brown said school board members could make recommendations for community members to serve on the task force.
Voters in Monroe rejected a four-year $8 million non-recurring referendum in April. The Monroe School Board has cut more than $1.7 million (5.6 percent) from the 2011-12 operating budget.
Brown made it clear what the task force's intent wouldn't include - recommendations on specific programs.
"We are not asking people to cut or throw out a program," he said. "We are asking you to tell the board what the priorities are."
Monroe School Board Vice President Bob Erb, who also serves on the Executive Committee, is a proponent of the task force.
"I think they (community members) can certainly give us great direction of what kind of choices should be made," Erb said.
Erb said the task force should be viewed as an extension of the board's work.
"By no means do I see this as passing the buck," Erb said. "It's part of our job to reach out and engage the community."