Oysterponds to discuss ‘zero-based budget’

Oysterponds Elementary School District Superintendent Richard Malone is expected to present a zero-based spending plan for the 2013-14 school year at tonight’s budget workshop meeting.

Mr. Malone said he’s developing a worst-case scenario plan known as a “zero-based budget” at the request of the board in order to show how much it would cost to run the school with bare minimum mandates. That process involves presenting a spending plan that includes only state-mandated programs. Since preschool and kindergarten aren’t mandated, Mr. Malone said they won’t be included in his zero-based budget. He said the school board could then decide to add in additional programs before presenting next year’s budget to the Orient and East Marion communities.

In addition to discussing his spending plan, Mr. Malone will give a mini-version of his “What is 21st century education?” series he presented earlier this year. Tonight’s topic is “Common Core and Complex Reading/Writing/Speaking.”

Here’s a summary of future budget workshops. Each meeting starts at 7 p.m.

• March 5: Budget workshop and presentation, “Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)”

• March 12: Budget workshop and presentation, “Importance of Early Childhood Education (Pre-K Program)”

• April 2: Budget workshop and presentation, “Learning through Technology”

• May 14: Budget hearing

• May 12 from 3 to 9 p.m.: Budget vote

Read more in the Feb. 28 issue of The Suffolk Times in both our print and electronic editions.