The Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education is the official policy-making body of the school district. It is responsible for carrying out the laws and regulations
pertaining to the education of the community’s children. It adopts school district policy, curriculum and programs of study, approves the hiring of all personnel and establishes the conditions of employment.
In addition, the board has the responsibility of maintaining facilities, establishing an annual budget and setting a tax levy. The school board adopts a proposed operating budget each year at a public meeting. Eligible residents then have the opportunity to vote upon the proposal.
The board is comprised of nine school district residents who are elected by voters to three-year terms in an annual election. Terms are staggered so that three members are elected each year. Board members are not compensated for their work.
In addition to the elected members, the board includes a non-voting student
member selected each year by the administration to serve a one-year term.
The student, who must be a senior at F-M High School, attends all public meetings and is allowed to participate in all public discussions.
2019-20 Board Goals
The board of education will revise and improve board guidelines for practice, process and procedure using NYSSBA’s “A Blueprint for Better School Board Operating Procedures” and the guidelines of fellow Tri-State Consortium boards of education as a guide.
As a means of continuous improvement and growth, board of education members held two retreats in the fall and as a group and individually reviewed NYSSBA’s “A Blueprint for Better School Board Operating Procedures” and other boards of education guidelines to gather best practices on such topics as preparing for board meetings, responding to community or employee complaints and conducting a board self-evaluation.
Board members collaborated throughout the year on revising the board’s existing operating procedures and anticipates having a new document in place during the 2020-21 school year.
The board of education will develop a better understanding of the district’s budget development, operations and procedures through a series of work sessions.
Because board members annually adopt a budget proposal, which along with assessments and equalization rates is one of the factors that determines residents’ school tax bills, it is imperative that board members fully understand the district’s finances and budgeting process. Taxpayers elect board members to represent the community and be good stewards of residents’ financial investment in the district.
In 2019-20, board members held several retreats with the district’s assistant superintendent for business services to discuss the budgeting process and district’s financial state. The board also made the decision to split its Audit and Finance Committee into two separate committees.
The new Audit Committee focused on reviewing internal and external audit reports and ensuring proper procedures are being followed districtwide. The Finance Committee focused on long-range financial planning. This allowed board members to delve deeper into the district’s finances, internal procedures and budget development.