Newburyport School Committee Task Force to Research and Analyze Sources of Revenue for the District

THE MAYOR'S REVENUE TASK FORCE COMMITTEE

Members

The Mayor has invited William Heenahan, Jay Iannini, Dr. Ralph Orlando, Brenda Reffett and Ellen Supple from the community; Deidre Farrell represents the School Administration and Mayoral Assistant Ari Herzog will represent the mayor; Bruce Menin and Mark Wright will represent the School Committee; and a member of the City Council have the opportunity to volunteer at the next special city council meeting called to consider the supplemental budget. William Heenahan has been asked to serve as chairperson.

Mission, Goals and Tasks

To Research and Analyze Sources of Revenue City-wide and for the District.

Mission

To provide an objective, comprehensive and transparent examination of the existing and future revenue streams of Newburyport and its Public School System.

Goals

Identify possible methods for increasing city revenue (primarily for the schools)
Identify and clarify forces impacting the financial status of the City of Newburyport.
Provide information in a clear and comprehensive manner suitable for the layperson and with the specificity necessary and appropriate for school and public officials.
Establish a strong working relationship among the City’s financial and governing bodies, it's School Committee, and its citizens.

Tasks

Identify all existing revenue sources. Identify all entities that impact the dollars allocated to the schools, including but not limited to government agencies, private or non-profit organizations, and individuals from both the private and public sectors.
Identify existing channels of private fund raising and the impact of each on school expenditures
Local Property Taxes - Present the economic outlook for Newburyport as told by:
- Reasonably accessible regional economic report
- A broad base of City Officials, Local Business Establishments, and the Chamber of Commerce
  •Identify a range from pessimistic to more optimistic possibilities for tax revenues, assuming no increase in our tax levy limit.
  •Identify plans, either under development or in effect, to enhance business and commercial tax revenue. If possible, conservatively estimate the level of potential supplementary revenues.
  •Qualitatively and, to the extent possible, quantitatively analyze the community’s ability to pay additional taxes.
Review other city and town methods of funding district public schools and provide a summary of innovative methods in other cities or towns within MA.
Review other private funding mechanisms. How is it done? Are there examples out there of sustainable programs funded with private money?

Deliverables and Schedule For Completion

Identify Task Force Members In Progress by Friday, August 31, 2007

Review the Mission, Goals, and Tasks on or before Tues., September 4, 2007
Task force members (chairperson at a minimum) to review this document with the finance subcommittee or other school committee representative.

First Presentation - Monday, September 17, 2007
Introduce the Task Force. The group is to describe the outcome of initial planning meetings to determine the methodology to accomplish the mission

Second Presentation (7 weeks later) - Monday, November 5, 2007
Present the preliminary results of Task Force

Third Presentation (6 weeks later) - Monday, December 17, 2007
Present the additional results of Task Force

Final Presentation (4 weeks, excluding 12/24 – 12/31) - Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Comprehensive presentation of all Tasks along with the conclusions and recommendations.