Sunday, the Northwest Herald published a guest column
by Huntley School District 158 John Burkey:
Facts about D-158’s fiscal outlook
Burkey took Executive Editor Chris Krug to task.
Here’s part of what Burkey wrote:
“Mr. Krug stated that District 158 had projected a $7.1 million deficit for 2011.”In fact, a budget with such a deficit was never presented.”
I find this to be an amazing statement when you can look at the self-identifying document below—
Proposed 5 Year Summary – Operating Funds Snapshot, Presented to the Board of Education December 3, 2009
—and see an operating deficit of $7,073,813 for the column labeled “FY11 Plan.”
Will the Northwest Herald let Burkey’s comment slide or will it defend the Krug’s and the Northwest Herald’s integrity? (Click to enlarge any part of the table, its top, middle or bottom.)
Looks like Larry Snow is ghost-writing Cal’s blog again
It seems someone needs to explain the difference between “deficit” and “debt” to the 158 school board.
To any board members reading:
If you have to dip into savings, it’s a deficit.
If you have to borrow money, it’s a debt.
Since your budget requires you to take money from your district fund, your budget is running a deficit.
It seems that someone needs to explain the difference between a planning document and a budget draft to Cal Skinner and Rebecca Mastey
Well, Jack, when I was a budget examiner at the United States Bureau of the Budget in 1965-66, with offices in that building that looks like a wedding cake right to the west of the White House, even then we knew that the budget we put together was a planning document.
I remember the budget I worked on before coming back to run for McHenry County Treasurer reflected the Lyndon Johnson Administration’s desire to be under $500 million.
We all knew the final budget passed by Congress would exceed $500 million, but it was an election year and, to put it in Johnson’s words to my super-boss Charlie Schultz when Schultz told him he couldn’t have the Great Society and the Vietnam War, “Charlie, my boy, I don’t want to lose a lot of Democrats.”
He wanted the media to talk about the budget being under $500 million.
So I know the political use of a budget at the top of the governmental pile in this country.
The Huntley School District’s budget is as I described it in the article.
If Supt. Burkey wanted to make it have a different spin, he would have put in different numbers. They would not have had to reflect reality anymore than President Johnson’s budget did.
Perhaps you have more budgeting experience than I, Jack, but I sincerely doubt it.
Note that I have not mentioned any budgeting experience regarding the House Appropriations Committee, the Legislative Audit Commission or the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission.
Get bold, Jack.
Have the courage to use your own name and lay out the experience you have had in budgeting, either governmental or business.