Bringing board, public up to speed on budget vital

There are two interesting photos among the pie charts and data tables in the proposed Manatee School District budget summary.
One shows forest firefighters digging a fireline.
Next to it, yellow crime scene tape before a wall of flames warns: FIRE LINE DO NOT CROSS.
They symbolize the countermeasures built into the district’s revamped budget process to avoid a repeat of what new superintendent Rick Mills called “a culture of rampant, unchecked spending” that brought down the previous administration.
All right.
But the photos are also a metaphor for what will happen if Team Mills doesn’t get this budget business right and get the community on board, too.

Read more Sunday in Mannix About Manatee on Bradenton.com.