Collaboration Between Manchester Town Boards Needed

The state of the economy is as good a time as any for the Manchester Board of Directors and Manchester Board of Education to again bring their business managers, facility managers and park managers to the table for further discussions on collaboration, consolidation and resource sharing.

I would like to see redundancy sought out and eliminated. 

When I was on the Board of Education, collaboration and consolidation was on the table. There were concerns expressed by Board of Education staff whether or not town services would be provided in a timely manner.  There had been some experiences where joint printing services with the town resulted in late report cards (if I remember correctly) or some other similar delay.  Another circumstance was the collaborative purchasing of supplies.  I recall a complaint by the Board of Education manager that the town insisted the BOE buy more oil than needed in order to get the lowest price.  This meant fewer funds for educational purposes and the need to store the additional oil.

I was glad to see in the Town of Manchester Annual Report there have been some
successful efforts in sharing.  For example, the Information Systems Department interconnects all town and school buildings with data, voice, video and internet access.  Another example is the Recreation Department and Schools have agreements for use of grounds.  On the other hand, the Parks Division does not maintain school grounds. 

Joint planning means equality in hiring, oversight and respect between staff for both Boards.  Well designed agreements between the Board of Directors and Board of Education are imperative for specifying expectations, delineating roles, and drawing up action plans.

Regardless of past experiences, I believe the Board of Directors should consider bringing both boards together, with appropriate staff, to discuss greater collaboration and resource sharing.  Can we contract for custodial services for all buildings? Can we have a joint facilities department that will have respect for the needs of all town buildings?  Would it be that difficult to have one payroll department? Would it make more sense to allow the Board of Education to focus on educational matters and leave the facilities and grounds to town staff?

Perhaps the answers are 'NO.'  As long as the answers have full explanations and all questions are satisfied, then we can say we did our best.

Obviously each Board has differing priorities; therefore, joint and equal input into consolidation plans is necessary.  However, for the sake of town residents and their tax payments, we need to demonstrate mutual respect and a willingness to work together to save money for the betterment of all.