School Business Insider

Episode: Schools and Town Halls – Building Strong Municipal Relationships

Host: John Brucato
Guest: Adam Tarkini, Chief of Finance and Operations, West Springfield Public Schools (MA)
Date: March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the critical, yet sometimes underappreciated, relationship between school districts and their local town/city governments. Host John Brucato and guest Adam Tarkini (West Springfield, MA) discuss why strong municipal collaboration is key to both financial stewardship and public trust, especially during challenging budget seasons. They dig into practical strategies for fostering transparency, educating municipal leaders, and handling sensitive budget realities amid fluctuating enrollments, outside funding changes, and community pressures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of School–Town Relationships

• Mutual Impact: School budgets typically comprise a significant portion of a municipality's total budget, so decisions deeply affect both entities.
• Early Partnership: Collaboration should start early and remain ongoing—especially during budget season—fostering community trust and demonstrating responsible stewardship (02:13).
• Public Perception: When schools and town leaders align publicly, it builds broader stakeholder confidence.

Structural Context & Finance Mechanics

• Budget Approval Process: In MA, the town council votes on the school's overall budget amount, but not its internal line items (04:16).
  • Quote: "They really have no say in what we can spend our money on." (04:16 – Tarkini)
• Revenue Streams: Foundation budget set by the state (Chapter 70), supplemented by municipal contributions raised via taxes (05:53).
  • Example: In FY26, $58.7M operating budget with $47–$48M from state; the town fills the $10–$12M gap (07:23).

Navigating Challenging Budget Years

• Enrollment Fluctuations: Refugee resettlement increased enrollment (boosting revenue), but recent declines led to a reduction in state formula aid, creating a large structural shortfall (08:53).
• Difficult Cuts: Town asked for $3M in reductions; cuts mostly affect staffing, but efforts are made to protect classrooms and use attrition over layoffs (10:42, 12:58).
  • “We try to keep those cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, obviously. But when we have such a significant decline in enrollment and our teaching staff is such a large portion of the budget, we really don’t have many other places to go.” (11:13 – Tarkini)

Communicating Complex Budget Decisions

• Simplifying Without Oversimplifying: Educating council and community members without overwhelming them is crucial. Tailor detail levels to your audience (17:46–18:04).
  • “The biggest thing was learning each council member and what they wanted…and what information I could provide…that educated them and got us all on the same page.” (18:08 – Tarkini)
• Anticipating Questions: Experience helps predict concerns of board and council members; over time, this becomes “muscle memory.” (20:30)
  • “It probably doesn’t sound good, but I tell people all the time: the spreadsheets are easy. Anybody can do…the money and the spreadsheets are the easiest part. It’s developing those relationships and those dynamics.” (22:06 – Tarkini)

The “Transparency” Dilemma

• Defining Transparency: True transparency means proactively duplicating and synchronizing communication to both the school committee and town council, not simply sharing more documents or data (25:46–29:03).
  • “What I did this year is every time I made a presentation to the school committee, I got on the next town council agenda and made the same presentation.” (27:19 – Tarkini)
• Dialogue Over Email: In-person presentations and discussions are more effective—immediate questions, better understanding (28:30).

Timing and Tone of Communication

• Start Early, But Manage Uncertainty: Begin dialogue as soon as possible (even if only with projections), but be clear about uncertainties to avoid unnecessary alarm (29:40–31:44).
• Year-Round Relationship Building: Don’t just communicate during budget crunch time; keep council and committee updated throughout the year to build trust (35:41).

From Transactional to Collaborative Culture

• Persistent Engagement: Moving from a “just give us the numbers” approach to true collaboration requires sustained, intentional outreach to decision-makers and stakeholders (32:28–33:38).
  • “Just making people feel that they're being heard…if they have a question, they reach out, I’m gonna get them an answer…to now it has paid off.” (33:12 – Tarkini)
• Team Mentality: Make everyone—school committee, town council, staff—feel on the same side. It pays dividends in tough years (35:41).

Data vs. Emotion in School Finance

• Empathy Required: Recognize that financial decisions have real impacts—class sizes, staff reductions—which stir community emotions (37:24).
• Data-Driven Decisions: Present the data behind choices, but offer clear, empathetic explanations (37:59–39:00).
  • “We can share in that [emotion], but then to your point, where is the data that says, hey, class sizes aren’t going to change or services aren’t going to be disrupted? And this is why.” (39:00 – Tarkini)

Practical Advice for School Business Leaders

• Be Proactive and Personal: Meet with leaders one-on-one, in person or via phone. Relationships built this way are more resilient and make difficult conversations easier (40:13, 41:14).
  • “Get up from your desk, go talk to people face to face…just make them feel that they're, you know, that their opinions, you value them.” (40:16 – Tarkini)
• Avoid Over-Reliance on Email: Email easily breeds miscommunication; real-time communication builds rapport and understanding (41:17).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Partnership:
  • “Fostering that partnership with the town is probably the biggest part of building the budget on a yearly basis.” (02:13 – Tarkini)
• On Budget Structure:
  • “They have a say on the total amount… they don’t get to dictate where we add things or where we cut things.” (16:45 – Brucato/Tarkini)
• On Education vs. Overload:
  • “In my efforts to give them as much information as possible, I kind of did overstep that… which led them to asking great questions, but questions they wouldn’t have otherwise known.” (17:46 – Tarkini)
• On Emotional Impact:
  • “Take the emotion out of the decision that we're gonna make. Like you can feel it… Once that’s done, let’s take a step back and say, okay, what really needs to be done?” (37:59 – Tarkini)
• Advice to Peers:
  • “Build those relationships… do it face to face. Do it one on one. I think it’ll make a lot of your job easier.” (41:14 – Tarkini)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:13] – Why town–school relationships matter
• [04:16] – Role of school committee vs. town council in budget approval
• [07:23] – Impact of enrollment and state funding fluctuations
• [08:53, 10:42] – Managing large budget cuts and protecting classrooms
• [17:46–18:08] – Tailoring communication for different council/committee members
• [22:06] – “The numbers are the easy part”—why relationships are challenging and essential
• [25:46–29:03] – How to practice genuine transparency with stakeholders
• [32:28] – Building a collaborative relationship with town leaders
• [35:41] – Trust and communication as foundations for challenging years
• [37:59] – Balancing data with empathy in tough decisions
• [40:13–41:14] – Face-to-face engagement’s value for school business professionals

Conclusion

This conversation between John Brucato and Adam Tarkini is a candid, insightful exploration of the nuanced work behind municipal–school district relationships. Through personal examples and practical tips, they showcase how early, ongoing, and empathetic communication with municipal leaders not only strengthens trust but also equips school business officials to navigate tough financial decisions and changing public expectations. For any school finance professional, this episode is a masterclass in the “people side” of school business.