Imagine you’re 20 years old, and you mention to your parents that you’d really like to go see Hamilton. Your parents, knowing that Hamilton tickets are really expensive, but feel it’s a great musical and a once in a lifetime experience, tell you they’re going to pay for you and a friend to go! WHOOP!!!
Then, two months later, when you’re already committed to going, and your best friend is super excited, they decide they don’t need to pay for it because you’ve got enough to cover it in your savings account.
But you’re building that savings account for a rainy day fund for emergencies! Dang. You can’t go back on your word at this point. You and your friend have already booked a hotel for the night. So you withdraw the funds from your savings account… which leaves it nearly empty.
Then, as soon as you return from NY, your transmission dies. DAMN! You don’t have enough in your savings account now, but you would have, had your parents honored their original commitment. Your only option is to go ask your parents to help you pay to get your car fixed.
This is what the Commissioners have done to the Kent County Board of Education.
They initially, in what now seems to have been a political move, offered $1.6mil to the board, in order to cover overdue raises for the teachers, pay for building repairs, and to get consolidation off the table once and for all. YAY!
Do you remember that meeting? I do! I remember when Bill Short asked “how bout we just give you the $1.6 million and call it a day?” and I nearly popped right out of my seat! Then, they put it to a motion; someone seconded it… then they voted ALL IN FAVOR! And I LOST MY MIND!
Not only did they offer it as a one-time thing, but as a MOE (Maintenance of Effort) so those funds would be available every year going forward to help support the schools so we’d wouldn’t have to worry about the asking for those funds each year!
I remember the night before, when Commissioner Fithian spoke at the Millington Town Meeting, and told us they had the funds available…. he committed to it then, in a way, but telling us all that… that the funds were available, and they were in good shape to offer it.
Then the problems started. People in the community heard about it and started complaining “where did all that money come from?” “it could be better spent somewhere else” and so on. I know. I read all the message boards online. I heard about it around town.
What it looks like now, is that the Commissioners offered the funds to make themselves look good. Then, when other people in the county, who don’t think it’s a great idea to support the schools, started complaining, the Commissioners had to find a way out.
They took a look at the BOE’s fund balance, which showed a whopping $2.6 million! They told the county that it is irresponsible to have that much money lying around not being put to use. So, they told Dr. Couch to use that money instead. Remember my analogy? They told her to use the funds in her savings account.
So, you’re thinking “yeah, what’s wrong with that? That money SHOULD be put to use! We the taxpayers gave it to the school to USE, not to just sit there!”
Well, that money isn’t just sitting there. At least $900k is the budget for FY17 (that’s the fiscal year 2017). So now it doesn’t look like nearly $3 million anymore, does it? What about the rest? The $1.7 million? Well, that’s the emergency fund. That’s what gets rolled over each year, to have on hand in case a roof collapses, or we enroll two new students in wheel chairs, or hearing impaired, and we need to fit two schools with ramps, or get interpreters or something.
What the County Commissioners want Dr. Couch to do, is spend that $1.7 mil, on the things that they promised funding for. That would leave the fund balance empty by FY18. Then we’re screwed. If there’s any emergency or Dr. Couch needs to buy pencils or something, she now has to go begging the Commissioners for it.
This is another political move on their part. If they grant the money, they look like the good guys. If they decide not to grant it, then they get to say “you mismanaged your funds.” Either way, they look good, Dr. Couch looks bad.
They County Commissioners are playing us. They want us to believe she’s just sitting on that money. That no one knew about it until they “found it”.
But here’s the real problem with this whole thing: They promised $1.6 mil going forward for MOE, and now they’re saying NO. Which means that by FY18, consolidation is back on the table, and we have to start this fight all over again.
To the taxpayers of Kent County, PLEASE, we must not only support the schools and our kids, because they are the future of this county, but we also need to stop consolidation! We can’t argue FOR consolidation when the Middle School is where most of our problems lie in this school district. Most parents complain about the Middle School and talk about taking their kids out of the public school system once their kids are in 5th grade. Why is that relevant? We recently consolidated into one middle school, and all of the problems that were supposed to be resolved weren’t.
Property owners of Kent County, if two elementary schools close, property values will drop. Millington, as a town, will suffer. I know, because when we bought our home, I thought it was awesome that there was a school within walking distance. If we’d been looking at two houses, and one was close to a school, and the other wasn’t, that would have a huge impact on my decision. I know that other young parents feel the same way.
Please, I’m asking you to keep the County Commissioners accountable for their initial commitment. They promised $1.6 mil going forward, to help keep the schools healthy, to make improvements, and to help make Kent County a desirable place for families to live.
Do NOT let them renege! Please, write to them, call them, contact them some way some how BEFORE they vote on Tues, June 14!
They can not be allowed to promise funds, then take it away.
Commissioner Fithian, you looked right at me and said you were in a good place to offer this money. Do not go back on your word.
To Dr. Couch, and the members of the Board of Ed, and to those running for the two positions opening up in November, Please hold the Commissioners to their word! It seems that there hasn’t been much said from most of you on this matter. It appears like there’re some people who are playing this “politically neutral”. I can not vote for someone if I don’t know where they stand on this issue.
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