Board battles back on bond
Naysayers, on this blog and others, take note: the school board was busy, busy, busy Saturday afternoon.
Here's a little taste of what will be in tomorrow's newspaper. Check back here for updates on stuff that doesn't make it into print.
GREENSBORO -- In a surprise vote, school board members agreed to resubmit their bond package to county commissioners -- this time without $45 million to rebuild burned Eastern Guilford High School.
Angered by the accusation that they put Eastern in their 2008 bond package to win a sympathy vote from the community, school board members voted 7-4 to take the school out of their construction bond package and let the commissioners come up with a way to fund the rebuilding effort.
Although the issue was not on the agenda, the bond issue came up during a discussion of the 2008 budget process at the board's semi-annual retreat.
On Jan. 17, county commissioners split the board's $457 million bond request into two pieces, a $45 million for Eastern and $412 million for a series of new buildings and other projects.
Commissioners accused the school board of using Eastern to get the sympathy vote to help pass a controversial bond.
Saturday, school board members fired back, saying nothing could be farther from the truth.
The commissioners committed to paying to rebuild Eastern, and have yet to come up with the way to do it, school board members said.
"We need to modify what we sent to them and leave Eastern off since they are already committed to pay for it," said board member Anita Sharpe, who made the motion to change the bond request.
School board chairman Alan Duncan said the board only included Eastern in the bond at the county's request.
"We did that only after they played politics for months and didn't do anything," Duncan said.
It remains to be seen what commissioner can or will do with the latest vote of the school board. But if the two school construction projects remain on the ballot, school district officials said the Eastern bond will have to be carefully worded.
Currently, Eastern is already being rebuilt will a pool of money borrowed from 2003 bond money deferred from other construction projects -- money essentially taken out of the school board's pocket.
The county commissioner's have promised to find a way to pay the money back to the school district in the next two years. But school board attorney Jill Wilson said if they the bond is not worded in the right way, the county may not legally be able to use the money to repay its debt to the school district.
Also at the retreat, school board members revisited the issue of special classes at the elementary and middle schools. Parents and local residents have expressed concern about the cut-back of art and music instructional time in recent years.
District staff members recommended to the board that they support a six-day rotating schedule that provides for planning time for core classroom teachers and six or seven classes taught each day by specialty teachers.
The recommended schedule would provide equal amount of art, music and gym, and two classes of language per six-day rotation for all students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The schedule also has a block of time for children who need special attention.
To implement the plan, the district would have to hire a minimum of 216 new teachers at an estimated expense of $1.3 million.
Several school board members said they supported the idea of expanding the language program, but didn't want to do it at the expense of art and music classes.
"I certainly don't want one to be sacrificed for the other," board member Kris Cooke said.
Grier said this option would provide both.
The district staff will include the proposed schedule into the 2008 budget soon to be considered by the board.
Comments (18)
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Frankly, this kind of game playing by the school board doesn't do much to repair their image with the public and to build trust that they are a serious group that is competent as the education leaders of the community. .
Posted on January 26, 2008 5:01 PM
It is truly sad that the administration is failing to recommend full restoration of music and art for the elementary schools that suffered reductions in instructional time this year.
What is even more shocking however is that the administration is actually recommending that instructional time in art and music be reduced at the remaining 2/3 of our elementary schools.
The BOE members should act with resolve and firmly reject this further attempt to reduce instructional time for arts education. It is also time to reject a partial restoration of arts instruction at the schools that already suffered reductions in instructional time. A FULL restoration of the time cut in 2007-08 is needed to bring arts instruction to the absolute minimal level necessary for effective instruction.
Arts advocates are enormously grateful to those BOE members who are already on record supporting a full restoration of instructional time in arts education. We urge the remaining BOE members to reject the administration's recommendation for EVEN MORE cuts to instructional time in arts education. Our children and our community deserve better than that.
Posted on January 26, 2008 5:41 PM
Actually Pierce, I think you are going to be happy when you see the latest that the staff is recommending.
More to come...
Posted on January 26, 2008 6:33 PM
I would LOVE to be pleasantly surprised Amanda. As you recall the administration report preceeding the December 20, 2007, BOE meeting recommended a 6 day block scheduling plan.
That proposal was flawed in 2 respects. First, it reduced art and music classtime in the two-thirds of elementary schools that did not suffer reductions this year. Second, it failed to fully restore all of the lost instructional time in the one-third of elementary schools that suffered lost time this year.
Is the recommendation made today different?
Posted on January 26, 2008 6:45 PM
Amanda,
It's 7:00 - are you still there? Please continue to update us with the happenings of today's retreat.
Has the board gone to closed session as was speculated in the paper today?
Posted on January 26, 2008 7:01 PM
It will be the citizens of Guilford County's pleasure to turn down any and all bonds in May.
We have had it with this type of gamesmanship.
Amanda let your next post instruct us when early voting begins.
Posted on January 26, 2008 7:54 PM
The County Commisioners and the School Board's behaviour is really concerning. I am really thinking about a no vote for the bonds.
I will be especially p'd if the SB let Dr TG do work for SD while we are paying him
Posted on January 26, 2008 8:18 PM
This standoff between the BOE and the County Commissioners happens every single year. This completely dysfunctional relationship was built into the process purposely. The kids pay the price. No surprises here.
Posted on January 27, 2008 1:17 AM
Anon,
You are right that the tension relationship was built into the process purposely. It could be compared to the relationship between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch in our federal government. Both serve to provide checks and balances. What we can never have is the school board having direct taxing authority. We have seen how dysfunctional this school board is when it comes to decision-making and taxpayer funds. The price that the children pay is having a dysfunctional school board and administration. There are good examples of how a school board and administration should function all around us, one just 30 miles away. Until this group gets its act together, we as taxpayers and parents benefit from having the commissioners act as a control mechanism on this school board.
Posted on January 27, 2008 1:11 PM
Billy,
I understand your point of view completely but I disagree with you. You (and many others for that matter) think the BOE needs the County Commissioners as a check and balance. Who's doing the check and balance on the County Commissioners? The voters. Those very same voters can act as the check and balance on the school board. There are many, many models all across the U.S. that work better than ours. Put the funding responsibility in the board's lap and and hold the BOE accountable. I just do not understand why you choose to turn that accountability over to another board that is no more qualified than the school board. Give the voters some credit.
Posted on January 27, 2008 2:15 PM
Anon,
Okay, so have the voters held the BOE responsible and accountable over the past several elections? I haven't seen much accountability in their actions. They have secret meetings to discuss matters that should be public. They waste significant amounts on programs that do not work. They approve of $80 Million schools for 1,500 students that other districts build for $30 Million less. Most of them do not even understand what is in an annual school budget.
No, I give voters credit, but the current board gives me no comfort that they are competent to tax and spend wisely. Perhaps, with a change in the board, they can build some trust with the public. When they have built some trust for a few years and show some financial competence, we can discuss direct-taxing authority.
Posted on January 28, 2008 12:35 PM
FYI, since 2000, the district passed two major construction/renovation bonds totaling $500 million. Prior to Dr. Grier's arrival, the district had not passed a bond referendum in 21 years
Posted on January 28, 2008 4:45 PM
I hear what you are saying and you have some good points. But until the school board has full accountability, I am convinced most of these things will not improve. It is difficult to hold most people accountable when, in reality, they are not truly accountable. Haven't you been in a job where you had the responsibility and the work, but not the authority?
If you had to be on a board and your three choices were the city council, the county commissioners or the school board, which one would you choose? I would venture to say that most people would choose the county commissioners or the city council. Being on the school board under the current conditions is a thankless task...and we set purposely it up that way in North Carolina. It's truly pitiful. Right now, the only people who take it on are those who are either power-mongers or those who are completely passionate about children, don't need respect and are willing to center their entire lives around a grueling board schedule. I can tell you one thing for sure--there are very few people in that second category. I know I'm not. Are you?
Posted on January 28, 2008 5:53 PM
Anon,
The school board is fully accountable now for the money that they get. They haven't shown that they can handle what they have. I do not see your argument that they should be given a pass because they are not truly accountable. They are accountable to use the money that they get wisely. They do not, so why would we want to give them the authority to tax us for money? Sorry, your argument doesn't make sense to me.
And, no. I always had the authority that matched by responsibility, and I was accountable for results.
If the school board was more effective with their time, they wouldn't have a grueling schedule. If you have ever been to a board meeting, they waste most of the meeting on meaningless discussions. If they were better organized and led, they could get through most of their meetings in a few hours. Their meetings go on for hours with no focus. They need to eliminate the time spent on the unnecessary and meaningless, and focus on what's important. then, they could go home after a couple of hours of a productive meeting. My guess is that they do that to avoid making decisions. .
Posted on January 30, 2008 3:07 PM
Posting Errors?
Posted on February 4, 2008 9:37 AM
The school board is not fully accountable for the budget. They have the county commissioners looking over their shoulders. From my point of view, the county commissioners are fully accountable for the budget. How many people would want to put themselves in that kind of situation? From what you said, you never have and you sound rather proud of it.
The school board has spent some the money wisely and some of it not so wisely. To say that they spend all of it irresponsibly is overstating the case.
It is important to be credible and to the point in one's criticism of anything.
I was not referring to the board meetings when I referred to the school board's "grueling schedule."
I was referring the the board meetings, subcommittee meetings, GCS meetings, training sessions, community meetings, school meetings plus the hundreds of phone calls they field.
I think that you and I may have to agree to disagree on this.
Posted on February 4, 2008 9:39 AM
Just say no to all school bonds. Until this BOE proves that they can spend OUR money wisely, how can any sane person support giving them more money to waste? Would you give a drunk a six pack?
Posted on February 12, 2008 2:06 PM
Honestly people.
The schools need this money.
I go to Southwest, and, even though we just got a new building, the school is still overcrowded and the original building is in a not-so-good state.
I know the county will probably spend it on something else, but with Terry Greir gone, there might be hope.
Posted on February 14, 2008 9:27 AM