In an effort to gain community insight on matters relating to the 2010-11 school budget, the Community 20/20 Committee held a Community Budget Forum on Sat., Jan. 30, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Warwick Valley Middle School. The Committee feels that input from taxpayers will be helpful in navigating what are sure to be difficult challenges with next year’s budget.

Community 20/20 is a Board of Education committee composed of District and Community members. The committee was formed in January 2009 to create a permanent framework for communication between the Board and the community. As part of this initiative, the Warwick Valley Central School District held a Community Forum on Nov. 7 to gather input from a broad range of Warwick residents on important issues that will guide the District and the Board of Education in the strategic planning for Warwick schools. Out of that first forum, came the idea for this budget forum.

As the Board of Education and the Superintendent begin to look at the harsh realities of budget development for 2010-11 amidst the dire financial condition in New York State and proposals by the Governor to cut state aid to schools, an important first step was to hear what residents had to say about what is and what is not important to them in educating Warwick students.