Vader School Board skirts queries
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 6:31 AM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleVADER --- Tuesday's special school board meeting here was long on questions and practically nonexistent on answers.
The meeting was advertised as a chance for the school board to discuss its options and begin planning for the cuts forced by the appellant failure of the levy and gym bond last week. (Election figures won't be official until Friday, but unofficial numbers have both measures failing.)
Instead, the board asked for public comments and then adjourned into an executive session to discuss upcoming labor contract negotiations. Board discussion was listed on the agenda but there was none, much to the frustration of the 25 residents present.
What's the board going to do about the election failures?
They haven't talked about it yet, board members said Tuesday, noting the elections results aren't final.
How much will they have to cut?
Board members didn't answer, saying only they're working with the Educational Service District.
Will the board run the levy and bond again in February?
No decisions have been made, they said.
Which staff positions will be cut?
The board said that's an administrative decision for Superintendent JoAnn Anshutz. (Anshutz said she hopes to let employees know by the end of the school year, June 9.)
Even the one question a board member asked went unanswered.
Student busing has been mentioned as a possible cut and Lesa Horton asked Anshutz if she had the cost per mile yet. Anshutz replied that the board couldn't discuss that because it wasn't on the agenda.
The meeting frustrated but did not surprise several vocal critics of the school district.
"Why did they advertise this meeting and then say they couldn't decide anything?" asked Jim Trahanes, saying he was speaking as a citizen and not a City Council member
During the meeting he asked about a state auditor's report that found the district ended the last school year with a negative balance of $9,909 and was $27,598 in the red at the end of February. The state took no action --- and the district is back in the black now --- but that didn't satisfy Trahanes.
"You're the ones who are supposed to be riding herd on that budget," he told the board. "That's inept management, period."
Board president Dave Kandoll said budgets are estimates and things like skyrocketing fuel costs can't be anticipated.
Janet Charlton, president of the classified employees union, said she'd like some answers on staff cuts because she's getting plenty of questions from her members.
"We've been cut before, but this is the worst we've been in the hole," she said.
Several people, including Don Iddings, said Anshutz should be teaching a class, as prior principal/superintendents have done. Iddings also said plans to expand to include seventh and eighth grades are unwanted and too expensive.
A former board member, though, wished the board well during what she predicted will be more tough meetings.
"You're going to get phone calls and you're going to make enemies," Val Tippery said. "It's hard, but we know you've got to do it."
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