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Zero Based Budgeting

Zero Based Budgeting

May 14, 2025 by vote@matera.us in /

Zero Based Budgeting and Sutton Schools

I’m against an override for the Sutton Schools. And some people might ask the question – how can you support quality programs for students while also being against an override?

Fundamentally we need to measure and quantify each one of our expenses so that they can be justified OR removed if there’s not data to support the spending decision. This is as true for our Spectrum Internet Bill ($21,000) or, our Backup Renewal ($13,500), as it is for our copier paper ($5,000). One approach that can help accomplish this is something called Zero Based Budgeting.

Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) is an approach whereby every spending line item must be justified from scratch e.g.: 0 and NOT simply carried over from a prior year with incremental increases. In the above examples – of course we need internet, but are we getting the best deal on internet? Can we sign up for a multi-year contract and spread the cost out over multiple fiscal years? Are we fully utilizing our backup renewal (whatever that is..) can we consolidate our Google Drive Backup ($4,250) into this – thus saving $4,250 per year which can get allocated elsewhere – specifically to learning outcomes for example!

Taxpayers are not a piggy bank to be emptied when we need more money. Because our taxpayer dollars are scarce, Zero Based Budgeting allows us to scrutinize expenses and using quantifiable data – justify the same expenditure or an increase in an expenditure each fiscal year. This is different than the alternative which is to simply carry the cost over to the next fiscal year and assume a % increase.

ZBB helps in building transparency and transparency builds trust – as a district beholden to taxpayers it’s absolutely critical that we justify where and why every single dollar is being spent. Adopting a zero based budgeting approach helps ensure that every dollar in the school budget is tied to either 1. A learning outcome, or 2. An operational efficiency. We need a school budget that is driven by data and Zero Based Budgeting helps accomplish this.

Below is a video cut from my forum answers and helps emphasize my thinking around dealing with tight budgets:

Raising Revenue

Raising Revenue

March 16, 2025 by vote@matera.us in /

As a school district we should double down on raising revenues to help increase our operating budget and close future year gaps. A few school districts in Massachusetts like Chelmsford and Gloucester have done this to some success. In fact, in 2011 Gloucester awarded naming rights to its outdoor athletic facilities to New Balance in exchange for $500,000 over ten years. While I’m not suggesting that Sutton could land a large corporate sponsor like New Balance, there are several small and medium size business in the area that might be game for this. I see this as an innovative way to raise revenue given that there aren’t any clear restrictions in State law prohibiting this and guiding policy could be instituted by the school committee. The Hopkinton School district has established guiding policies on this and Sutton could easily leverage some of the work done here as policy. Tough times call for innovative thinking and as a member of the committee I’ll bring innovative ideas to help raise revenues and close our budget gaps.

Fiscal Responsibilty

Fiscal Responsibilty

February 14, 2025 by vote@matera.us in /

Our school is facing some tough financial situations both now and in the future. As a committee we need to scrutinize every aspect of the budget and make sure it’s focused on our core mission of education. As a member of the school committee I pledge to bring common sense fiscally responsible solutions. Here are two examples I’ve identified in the FY26 budget:

  • Software Licensing & Subscriptions: Includes Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and various specialized education software.
  • Hardware Costs: Computers, tablets, network equipment, and IT infrastructure.

Given that the school uses Google for students, we should look to consolidate and remove any charges for Microsoft Office (~$9,500) if possible. Hardware costs should be minimized – for example are teachers using chromebooks or full laptops? We are also sharing some IT services with the town, is it possible to consolidate and share more of these services in the future? Before eliminating sports programs we should look to as many areas of cost savings as possible. As you can see from the chart provided in the FY26 Preliminary Budget Presentation we are facing an increasing GAP into FY29.

If elected to the committee I promise to bring common sense, financially responsible solutions to control costs and ideas to increase revenue, while keeping the best interest of the taxpayer in mind.