|
Put It All on the Table!
By Steven Flagg
Guest Column
I
attended the March 3 special meeting of the Toledo Board of
Education virtually. In addition to watching the meeting
video on my computer, I was able to access BoardDocs during
the meeting where I viewed the meeting agenda and the budget
presentation being discussed.
Not only
was it a more convenient experience, as I saved 40 minutes
of drive time, it was also easier to follow and more
informative than being at the meeting since the Board has
gone paperless.
The
Toledo Board of Education deserves credit for improving
public access to its meetings by contracting with WGTE to
provide live coverage of this important special meeting.
While
watching the virtual Board meeting and reviewing the
materials presented, it became obvious that many important
questions went unanswered.
-
What
cuts did the TPS administration evaluate?
-
Did
they evaluate every TPS program or service?
-
What
are the costs for all programs provided by TPS and which
are discretionary as opposed to statutorily mandated?
-
Are
there any other changes in operations besides those
suggested that could improve efficiencies and save
taxpayer dollars?
-
What
proportion of TPS students participate in
extracurricular athletics?
-
Has
the district effectively matched their reduced student
enrollment with the number of school buildings? Are
there more schools that should be closed or
consolidated?
Besides
unanswered questions, it became evident that there was
little detail provided by the TPS administration in their
budget presentation. All that was offered for some items was
a short general description with a dollar figure attached.
Cuts in elementary education programs and secondary
education adjustments that required additional staff or
payments beyond core instruction or programs resulted in a
savings of over $4 million.
Among the
final cuts discussed were over $14 million of unspecified
contract concessions which made up 36 percent of the $38
million in budget cuts presented by TPS.
While
labor negotiations in Ohio can be behind closed doors, the
magnitude of the savings and their impact on students,
parents, staff and community demands they be identified.
Without
details, just how can this community understand the overall
picture and the impact and trade-offs of these difficult
decisions? How can our community determine if these cuts are
really being made with student interests placed first?
“Trust
us” is not acceptable from the TPS administration or the
Board of Education in these times of economic difficulty and
public cynicism given the poor academic results, corruption
revelations and history of indifference to the needs of the
Toledo community.
As a
taxpayer providing financial support to TPS, I believe every
program and service should be evaluated with a cost
attached. Every program or service should be identified as
discretionary or required to meet statutory mandates. If no
evaluation has been done, there should be. If such an
evaluation was completed, there is no reason to be shy: show
us see the results.
With our
local economy in recession, an uncertain recovery date, and
personal and governmental budgets on life support,
everything has to be on the table and open for discussion.
As we sit around this table, one simple principle of shared
sacrifice should prevail and be evident to all when the five
member Board of Education votes on the final package of
budget cuts.
Steven
Flagg is a community activist and education advocate. For
more information visit
TPSINFO.COM.
|
