We heard school board members and district administration snipe at the community for their "short-sightedness".
We were warned of the "rebound" effect.
We were warned that taking money out of the slush fund (Fund Balance" would hurt our credit rating, costing us higher borrowing rates.
Then the mirrors were shattered...
...and the smoke cleared.
We borrowed money with NO adverse impact on our credit or bond rating.
We made it through the school year with only $1.1M in "reductions".
Nobody lost their job.
Administrators and Local 60 were hit with ONE furlough day.
But the biggest news only materialized this week.
Despite a proposed levy reduced by $2M,
the district budget still had a surplus (increase) of $1.3M.
That's right folks. We heard about the doom and gloom of reducing fund balance.
We prepared to have Fund Balanced reduced by $800,000 to $7.2M.
Instead, Fund Balance GREW to between $8.4 and $8.5M
Hmmm....maybe the levy should have been reduced FOUR MILLION!
We all believe in providing a quality education, but how can we support the budgets and levies presented to us when they are this unreliable?
If we---excuse us--if the school board continues to sanction these unreliable budgets, where do you suppose the "surplus" money is going to be spent?
85 cents of every dollar in the budget goes towards salary and fringe benefit costs. So...it follows that 85 cents of any surplus dollars in the budget will wind up funding either new positions we do not need (like another vice principal at a high school with only 1400 kids in it) or ridiculous raises for staff.
Until we can trust the school board that their budgets are certified fluff free, it sure looks like the community will come out in force and cut the levy themselves.
It's a very dangerous game the school board is playing.
They are playing with fire...
...and they WILL get burned.
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