BURKEonBOARD

(Oct. 13, 2008) – A woman named “Barbara” writes to me occasionally about the school district and board election. Her most recent missive arrived last night reacting to a message sent earlier on Sunday (Monday afternoon’s school board “work session”).

The lack of tightening the (school district) budget is the worst. How much more can retired individuals like myself take in tax increases? We have lost our retirements and 401K funds, yet the School Board goes full steam ahead. When more and more housing goes into foreclosure and more and more businesses close, what will the School Board do?

Here is a turnip with no blood left to give!

“Barbara” makes an excellent point. Perhaps you’ve noticed the occasional news story about the declining economy, sinking property values (you’ll see how far yours has gone down when your preliminary property tax bill arrives soon from the county), mounting foreclosures, personal and business bankruptcies.

Now is not the time for the district to be adding expenses and increasing taxes as they plan to do for the retiree health insurance (Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.). Now is not the time to spend $750,000 on artificial turf for the new high school football stadium.

If I were on the board now, I’d be looking for ways to cut spending right now that didn’t hurt the classroom. I’d be looking for ways to cut taxes, not increase them as the current board is doing.

Recently, a school district official (not a board member and not the superintendent) reacted to a comment I made when I said I didn’t understand why we needed the Tiger football stadium at the new high school when we have a perfectly serviceable football stadium at the current high school.

This person said, “What’s $2 million in the whole scheme of things?” That may not be the exact quote, but you get the idea.

I’m not going to mention this person’s name because I actually think this person does a pretty good job for the district, but attitudes like that, that allow someone to dismiss the idea of saving $2 million as inconsequential are horrifying to me. I  think this person is not the only one who thinks like that in our district administration or school board.

I understand that when you deal with operating budgets over $50 million a year and capital projects over $100 million, that sometimes $2 million seems like a rounding error. But these are tax dollars in a time when tax dollars are becoming an ever more precious commodity.

Someone, please, get that message to the school board.