Ready for the next step
Congratulations to Eve Hundt and Janet Harckham on winning the two open school board seats on Tuesday, and to the current board members and school administration in passing next year’s budget and a proposition to buy vehicles and a generator. Despite a difficult economic atmosphere with soaring gas and food prices, inflation and a staggering economy, the board presented a budget that voters thought was sound and they approved it by a relatively wide margin. This is a significant victory for school officials that should not go unnoticed.
It was only a few years ago when the school budget narrowly passed by fewer than a dozen votes, despite a record high real estate market and banks that were handing out loans to anyone. The opposite is true now, yet the budget passes handily. Why?
The difference lies in the public’s perception of the school board and the administration. Two years ago, the board was split amongst its members — remember the gavel banging and shutting off of members’ microphones? — and that was reflected in the public. There was a polarizing figure leading the school administration and the state comptroller had just released a damning report about financial mismanagement and even criminal acts in the district. In hindsight, it was amazing that budget ever passed.
Now, there is a new leader of the district in Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Roelle, who has done away with the good ol’ boys atmosphere and cloak-and-dagger mentality that had permeated the administration for years. Communication with the public and the media has greatly improved, and the district is in the process of overhauling its finance department to eradicate the problems the comptroller’s people found in 2006, and to put in controls to make sure they do not occur again.
However, there are still some issues the board and the administration must address. The recent internal audit of the budget, financial accounting, reporting and cash cited four areas of deficiency. And Ms. Hundt recently cited communication as an area that needs to continue to improve. The roughly $27,000 to educate one student a year will need to be addressed, too. These are difficult responsibilities that will require due diligence, a proactive attitude and an aggressive yet conservative financial mindset to achieve.
Luckily for the district, the board appears to have the right members and schools leader to begin tackling these issues when it first convenes in July.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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