October 22, 2009 State Auditor Tom Salmon recently sent a survey to all 62 school supervisory unions in Vermont requesting information on the services they share and how they may improve services and contain costs.
For Immediate Release Contact: Tom Salmon, CPA, State Auditor
Oct. 22, 2009 802-828-2281
State auditor to survey schools on shared services
MONTPELIER – State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, said he has launched a survey of the 62 school supervisory unions in Vermont to determine the full range of shared services among schools that help improve services or instruction and may contain costs.
“Many schools are sharing services of one kind or another, from common bus and food service contracts, to computer specialists, language teachers or special education staff,” Salmon said, “but no one has a good handle on what everyone is doing. Our survey will help produce an inventory of possibilities,” he said.
“As school boards, administrators, teachers, parents and others build budgets this fall, we can all benefit from more information about what’s working, what’s not, and what is getting in the way of more sharing,” Salmon noted. “There’s a lot of creativity at work in the school community, and the survey’s goal is to identify new concepts and get them to superintendents, principals and school boards around Vermont to consider,” he noted.
Salmon said he’s had help from the Vermont Superintendents’ Association and the Vermont Department of Education on the project.
“Part of the survey asks administrators to identify obstacles to developing more shared-service agreements that can help students and perhaps reduce costs through economies of scale and the sharing of special expertise.” Salmon said that information might help legislators consider allowing more flexible approaches to school spending.
The Auditor said that the results will be posted on his website next month.
Reminder: audit reports and updates are available at: www.auditor.vermont.gov
Or call 1-877-290-1400 to request information.
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