My Take on the Last School Board Meeting

I have to admit it.  I wasn’t looking forward to having Bill and the other newly elected members on the board.  I refer to Mr. Walsh as Bill because it drives me nuts that he addresses Dr. O’Donnell as Dan during board meetings. Doesn’t he hear the recording secretary refer to everyone as Mr, Mrs, etc several times a meeting?  Just a pet peeve, but hey, this is my blog. 

So, getting back to Bill.  I was very worried because it was clear that there was a lot of friction created between the board and administration.  As a former administrator, I know that this can make the general comfort of the entire work environment change.  People get fed up and leave.  Too much change too fast always results in negative outcomes for the kids.

I have attended or watched online all but one meeting of the new board.  The friction is there and I believe that the administration is probably feeling overworked and overlooked.  Many of the things that are being addressed are repeat performances for them.  Timelines are being extended.  It cannot be easy for them.  They deserve our thanks.

However, the board’s conduct has really made me feel that they are looking for savings and to understanding why and how the district is spending their money.  Monday night’s meeting made me feel  like I was reading 25 Quick Ways to Save Big Bucks or some article like that from a magazine.

1.  Can we rent instead of buy?  Generators that are only used at some buildings a few days a year seem like something worth looking into renting instead of buying at $120,000 a building.

2.  Can you fix instead of redo?  Computer room floors that are 5 years old don’t need to be filled with concrete to the price of $200,000.  Glue or tack down the corners that are coming up, or lay carpet over the tiles.  Mr. Baumann said they had already tried this and it was successful. 

3.  Focus only on improvements that increase your home’s (building’s) value.   Redoing the layout of the front office at Churchill for better visibility of who is coming in the building with a ticket of $450,000 does not work.  I will donate a baby video cam if they want to see who is in the hall.  Yes, safety is important, but as Mr. Baumann stated, at least two other buildings are built the exact same way.  That is $1 million.  You could easily pay someone to sit at the window of each building for much less.

(In their defense this was a Group C item which meant a “nice to have” not a need.  I just wouldn’t have put that out there at this time.)

4.  Get several estimates.  Several schools are requesting to enclose their dumpster area and have a concrete drive up at $20,000 a building.  I have to believe we can bring that down quite a bit for a local business to do all of them.

I think you get my point.  I was actually impressed by the board’s handling of this discussion.  They asked tough questions.  I want to make sure that we are spending wisely.  As families have cut down their budgets and will probably have to do again, the school district is going to have to do the same.  We are going to have question things and make sure we are buckled down for whatever comes next. 

As far as the friction, it is still pretty easy to see.  But I do see things improving a little each time.  I think.  I hope.