Since the Administrator and Board of Trustees of JISD began recent talks of a possible Bond Election to build new schools, their have been letters of intent to take civil action against Mr. Don Gateley of Jacksonville by Attorney’s representing WRL Contractors of Bullard and now Superintendent Stuart Bird of JISD concerning a letter to the editor on Sept. 01, 2005. Both were seeking a letter of apology to be printed in both the Jacksonville Daily Progress and the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Attorney’s for WRL Contractors were contacted and Mr. Levine has spoken with Mr. Gateley and has decided to drop pursuit of legal action. After attending his first JISD meeting in almost a year, Mr. Gateley was served a letter from the Richard’s law firm, representing Mr. Bird, seeking the same remedy on the same issue. The issue at question was the elk hunting trip which Mr. Bird has admitted publicly and privately that took place.
The citizens of this community may not be politically active, but they are far from stupid. This is nothing more than a move by these parties to silence the people who watch over the actions of the Administration and Board of Trustees of JISD. How many of you would know how much JISD paid for the 33 acres of land in 2000 had it not been for these watchdogs. How many of you would have known about the elk hunting trip had it not of been for these watchdogs. Many other actions have been spoken of publicly and because of this the general public has been given the opportunity to know what is going on within our public schools.
If this action by Mr. Bird and his Attorney’s is allowed to proceed, who of you will attend these board meetings or question their actions? We must not allow this action to silence public opinion and participation of any governmental agency. Taxation Without Representation??? This is not the American way!
Please call Mr. Bird at JISD and tell him to put an end to this today, and show your support for open meetings and public participation.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
How to balance a Budget- the JISD (SNOW)method
Our JISD Financial Director and the Administrator have been implimenting a strategy to make it appear on paper as though serious cuts are being made to certain depts. within the budget and stay within the guidelines of proportioning funds towards academics. The law states that a certain percentage of the budget be dedicated to classrooms, books, etc...(academics), and a certain percentage towards maintenance, purchase of steel fencing and landscaping items, etc...
The Administrator and Financial Director have found an innovative means of overcoming these mandates. They have been using the FUND BALANCE. This account is where the administration sends all the money that they cut from depts. such as food service, technology, etc... Throughout the year, through budget amendments they are then able to move funds to make them available for projects such as parking lots, steel fencing, fieldhouse construction, etc... thereby bypassing state mandates placed to safeguard the education of our children.
I have no business experience and it took me a while to catch on to this little loophole trick. I'm sure that someone more experienced and knowledeable in business could break this information down to you a lot better, but for now I am all you have.
Let me give an example of how this Fund balance is used to deceive taxpayers. In early 2004, the board was told by the finance director that they had a balance of $1.1mil. in a Building Fund, and because they had the cash on hand they could enter into a contract to build a new fieldhouse without having to look for funding elsewhere, whether it be by cutting from other dept.s or even a possible Capitol Bond Package. The Board took Ms. Finley for her word and voted to proceed with the building of a fieldhouse. Later, in August of '04, the Board was given a figure of $2.2 mil. to fund the project, and guess how much money was now in the building fund, you got it $2.3 mil. This amount caused nothing more than another budget amendment to roll the extra cost from the Fund Balance Account over to the Building Fund.
The Administrator was questioned by myself in open meeting and asked if these extra funds came from cuts in any educational areas, and his answer was NO! Once again playing with the thin line of truth. No it didn't come from cuts in education, however it did come from the Fund Balance which is designed to fund the education of our children in the event of a loss of state funding.
The Administrator and Financial Director have found an innovative means of overcoming these mandates. They have been using the FUND BALANCE. This account is where the administration sends all the money that they cut from depts. such as food service, technology, etc... Throughout the year, through budget amendments they are then able to move funds to make them available for projects such as parking lots, steel fencing, fieldhouse construction, etc... thereby bypassing state mandates placed to safeguard the education of our children.
I have no business experience and it took me a while to catch on to this little loophole trick. I'm sure that someone more experienced and knowledeable in business could break this information down to you a lot better, but for now I am all you have.
Let me give an example of how this Fund balance is used to deceive taxpayers. In early 2004, the board was told by the finance director that they had a balance of $1.1mil. in a Building Fund, and because they had the cash on hand they could enter into a contract to build a new fieldhouse without having to look for funding elsewhere, whether it be by cutting from other dept.s or even a possible Capitol Bond Package. The Board took Ms. Finley for her word and voted to proceed with the building of a fieldhouse. Later, in August of '04, the Board was given a figure of $2.2 mil. to fund the project, and guess how much money was now in the building fund, you got it $2.3 mil. This amount caused nothing more than another budget amendment to roll the extra cost from the Fund Balance Account over to the Building Fund.
The Administrator was questioned by myself in open meeting and asked if these extra funds came from cuts in any educational areas, and his answer was NO! Once again playing with the thin line of truth. No it didn't come from cuts in education, however it did come from the Fund Balance which is designed to fund the education of our children in the event of a loss of state funding.
SUPER SIZE the BULL S---, PLEASE!!
This is my breakdown of Mr. Bird’s article in the Sunday July 16 2004 issue of the Jacksonville Daily Progress.
1.) “I thought we might offer you one, two, or three options to consider.”
(Q) Who is the we that came up with these ‘options’ and are there other possibilities?
2.) “Our architects suggested that if we build two schools, Joe Wright and East Side, we might build East Side first and then move Joe Wright to the existing East Side campus for a year to a year-and-a-half and then move them back to the new building.”
(Q) Are these architects currently on the payroll at JISD and do they live and pay taxes in JISD, or have children in our schools? Or are these the only competent architects in Texas?
3.) “The middle school roof project will be included in any scenario. I will discuss cost and the process of how we arrive at that figure as well as the impact on your taxes in my next article.”
(Q) There’s that we word again. It is my understanding that capital bonds are to only be used for renovations to existing facilities and building new facilities and NOT roof repair or air conditioners and lighting repairs which are to be funded from the Maintenance and Operations Budget?
4.) “Jacksonville ISD belongs to you, the people, and no one is trying to talk you into something or out of anything. You get to decide what you want and how we should go about it. If you don’t want or see a need to build new schools then let’s not build them.”
(Q) Who decided to pay $750,000 for the playgrounds adjacent to the High School? NOT ME!Who decided to build a new field house instead of adding classrooms at JHS or repair the roof and air conditioners at the Middle School? NOT ME!What if we just want repairs to Middle School roof, air conditioning, and lighting right now and then accept a Bond package for new schools once we have seen that repairs can be made without having to cause new taxes in the future?
5.) “It’s your attitude that will make the difference. Negative attitudes destroy communities. POSITIVE attitudes build them.”
(Q) Does this mean that everyone that disagrees with you is wrong , therefore NEGATIVE and you are right, or POSITIVE?
1.) “I thought we might offer you one, two, or three options to consider.”
(Q) Who is the we that came up with these ‘options’ and are there other possibilities?
2.) “Our architects suggested that if we build two schools, Joe Wright and East Side, we might build East Side first and then move Joe Wright to the existing East Side campus for a year to a year-and-a-half and then move them back to the new building.”
(Q) Are these architects currently on the payroll at JISD and do they live and pay taxes in JISD, or have children in our schools? Or are these the only competent architects in Texas?
3.) “The middle school roof project will be included in any scenario. I will discuss cost and the process of how we arrive at that figure as well as the impact on your taxes in my next article.”
(Q) There’s that we word again. It is my understanding that capital bonds are to only be used for renovations to existing facilities and building new facilities and NOT roof repair or air conditioners and lighting repairs which are to be funded from the Maintenance and Operations Budget?
4.) “Jacksonville ISD belongs to you, the people, and no one is trying to talk you into something or out of anything. You get to decide what you want and how we should go about it. If you don’t want or see a need to build new schools then let’s not build them.”
(Q) Who decided to pay $750,000 for the playgrounds adjacent to the High School? NOT ME!Who decided to build a new field house instead of adding classrooms at JHS or repair the roof and air conditioners at the Middle School? NOT ME!What if we just want repairs to Middle School roof, air conditioning, and lighting right now and then accept a Bond package for new schools once we have seen that repairs can be made without having to cause new taxes in the future?
5.) “It’s your attitude that will make the difference. Negative attitudes destroy communities. POSITIVE attitudes build them.”
(Q) Does this mean that everyone that disagrees with you is wrong , therefore NEGATIVE and you are right, or POSITIVE?
Thursday, June 29, 2006
CLUELESS IN JACKSONVILLE
As many of you are aware, I have been working towards holding the JISD Administration and Board of Trustees accountable for the decisions they make with our children’s educational dollars that come from the pockets of the taxpayers of this district.
In the past few years there have been many, many instances where citizens have asked me to ask the board for one thing then another. To date none of these requests have been addressed. I do not expect that to change anytime soon either. The biggest thing on most peoples mind is the condition of our campus’, and the quality of education.
It was not that long ago, that the board was challenged with making the choice to repair a roof at the Middle School, Build a New Classroom Wing at JHS, or Build a new Field house. That discussion took place over three years ago, and we still have a bad roof and not enough classrooms.
During the Budget workshop just this past Monday night, the Finance Director gave a presentation to the board of trustees that showed that by the 2008-2009 school years we would need to have more science/lab classrooms, and math and science teachers. Fast forward thirty minutes or so and the same board members heard the discussion on the future building plans at JHS. No classroom plans, however there were plans for a new gym. Only moments later they chose to accept a bid of $171,000 by WRL Contractors of Bullard and owned by the close personal friend (and elk hunting partner)of Mr. Bird, to build a new parking lot at JHS. Within the next thirty minutes, we heard as Mr. Bird acknowledged that he did not know what kind of Bond package they needed to put together or what the cost would be, but we needed to put one before the public by November.
Most people spend more time shopping for a car or truck, heck it took me longer to find my son the right dog. What kind of quality can we expect to get from such a rush order? Notice again, just as in the past bond package, NO QUOTES ON RENOVATIONS OR ADD-ONS! Moreover, who will the Contractor be? (surely not WRL)! Folks, your governor, senators, and congressmen and women have finally given property owners some relief from paying higher and higher property taxes. Now Mr. Bird and the Board of Trustees of JISD are asking you to give some of that relief back to them because they have failed to use past tax dollars wisely. I SAY NO!! Learn how to manage my property (JISD schools) and then come ask for more, if you need it! I am asking you to do the same, and say NO to any new taxes.
In the past few years there have been many, many instances where citizens have asked me to ask the board for one thing then another. To date none of these requests have been addressed. I do not expect that to change anytime soon either. The biggest thing on most peoples mind is the condition of our campus’, and the quality of education.
It was not that long ago, that the board was challenged with making the choice to repair a roof at the Middle School, Build a New Classroom Wing at JHS, or Build a new Field house. That discussion took place over three years ago, and we still have a bad roof and not enough classrooms.
During the Budget workshop just this past Monday night, the Finance Director gave a presentation to the board of trustees that showed that by the 2008-2009 school years we would need to have more science/lab classrooms, and math and science teachers. Fast forward thirty minutes or so and the same board members heard the discussion on the future building plans at JHS. No classroom plans, however there were plans for a new gym. Only moments later they chose to accept a bid of $171,000 by WRL Contractors of Bullard and owned by the close personal friend (and elk hunting partner)of Mr. Bird, to build a new parking lot at JHS. Within the next thirty minutes, we heard as Mr. Bird acknowledged that he did not know what kind of Bond package they needed to put together or what the cost would be, but we needed to put one before the public by November.
Most people spend more time shopping for a car or truck, heck it took me longer to find my son the right dog. What kind of quality can we expect to get from such a rush order? Notice again, just as in the past bond package, NO QUOTES ON RENOVATIONS OR ADD-ONS! Moreover, who will the Contractor be? (surely not WRL)! Folks, your governor, senators, and congressmen and women have finally given property owners some relief from paying higher and higher property taxes. Now Mr. Bird and the Board of Trustees of JISD are asking you to give some of that relief back to them because they have failed to use past tax dollars wisely. I SAY NO!! Learn how to manage my property (JISD schools) and then come ask for more, if you need it! I am asking you to do the same, and say NO to any new taxes.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
STRATEGIC PLANNING PROPOSAL
Before the Jacksonville Independent School District Board of Trustees asks the taxpayers to approve a new capital bond, wouldn’t it be nice to see a long-term Educational Master Plan addressing phased construction, community forums and input, a technology assessment (and growth plan), and questions about how to make the tasks of improving our schools more economically and environmentally friendly?
While there appears to be a general consensus that the public use buildings of JISD are in need of repairs and, in some cases, replacement, there is little consensus on the best methods for meeting the district’s needs. The previous bond attempt was based on a concept that included redesign, repurposing, renovation and new construction, using conventional materials and labor sources. While many of the goals of the bond were acceptable, the means and expenditures were not acceptable to the majority of Jacksonville voters.
Following the untimely death of James Farmer, it was widely proposed that the building trades program at Jacksonville High School be reinstated. The building trades program, in years past, was responsible for completing one home per year in the city of Jacksonville. The homes were well built and the student participants came away from the experience with a sense of accomplishment and a valuable life-long skill set for future employment.
Several citizens have discussed the possibility of renewing this program with an eye toward students building for students – a building trades program that would contribute toward the renovation and new construction of space needed by JISD. In addition, the program could be expanded to include students at the Compass Campus and perhaps even Middle School. Student involvement in construction would give the students a sense of "ownership", and possibly lead to encouraging a sense of stewardship among the student body on the various campuses, resulting in proactive reporting of problems, such as inadvertent mishaps, and limiting intentional vandalism.
In addition, it has been suggested that the district research using environmentally sustainable building materials in new construction, to eliminate or, at the least, mitigate, the environmental and public health impacts of traditional construction materials. Other environmental concerns could also be considered, such as the use of high-density building materials such as straw bale to create super-insulated buildings that require significantly less energy to heat and cool, the use of solar energy to supplement traditional energy sources, and even water recycling options. One use for the JISD owned land adjoining the high school could be for the JHS agricultural students to grow either a wheat or oat type crop to supply straw for straw bale construction, or for growing grasses used in alternative construction as straw substitutes.
Finally, a proposal to integrate community participation with JISD goals has been suggested. The proposal is for volunteer community participation through partnerships with area churches, community groups and corporate entities, similar to Habitat for Humanity, to be garnered as a means of reducing overall expenditures. Civic participants would have the opportunity to either volunteer labor and/or sponsor material resources.
Many of the trustees and administrators seem to lean toward using Whitehouse or Round Rock as models for JISD. A worthwhile question for all to consider is, do the people of Jacksonville want their school district to be a clone of another town’s? Or do we want to put the "independent" back in "Jacksonville Independent School District"? The best route to the latter is to open the floor to a serious discussion of meeting our challenges with innovation, creativity and "out of the box" thinking.
While there appears to be a general consensus that the public use buildings of JISD are in need of repairs and, in some cases, replacement, there is little consensus on the best methods for meeting the district’s needs. The previous bond attempt was based on a concept that included redesign, repurposing, renovation and new construction, using conventional materials and labor sources. While many of the goals of the bond were acceptable, the means and expenditures were not acceptable to the majority of Jacksonville voters.
Following the untimely death of James Farmer, it was widely proposed that the building trades program at Jacksonville High School be reinstated. The building trades program, in years past, was responsible for completing one home per year in the city of Jacksonville. The homes were well built and the student participants came away from the experience with a sense of accomplishment and a valuable life-long skill set for future employment.
Several citizens have discussed the possibility of renewing this program with an eye toward students building for students – a building trades program that would contribute toward the renovation and new construction of space needed by JISD. In addition, the program could be expanded to include students at the Compass Campus and perhaps even Middle School. Student involvement in construction would give the students a sense of "ownership", and possibly lead to encouraging a sense of stewardship among the student body on the various campuses, resulting in proactive reporting of problems, such as inadvertent mishaps, and limiting intentional vandalism.
In addition, it has been suggested that the district research using environmentally sustainable building materials in new construction, to eliminate or, at the least, mitigate, the environmental and public health impacts of traditional construction materials. Other environmental concerns could also be considered, such as the use of high-density building materials such as straw bale to create super-insulated buildings that require significantly less energy to heat and cool, the use of solar energy to supplement traditional energy sources, and even water recycling options. One use for the JISD owned land adjoining the high school could be for the JHS agricultural students to grow either a wheat or oat type crop to supply straw for straw bale construction, or for growing grasses used in alternative construction as straw substitutes.
Finally, a proposal to integrate community participation with JISD goals has been suggested. The proposal is for volunteer community participation through partnerships with area churches, community groups and corporate entities, similar to Habitat for Humanity, to be garnered as a means of reducing overall expenditures. Civic participants would have the opportunity to either volunteer labor and/or sponsor material resources.
Many of the trustees and administrators seem to lean toward using Whitehouse or Round Rock as models for JISD. A worthwhile question for all to consider is, do the people of Jacksonville want their school district to be a clone of another town’s? Or do we want to put the "independent" back in "Jacksonville Independent School District"? The best route to the latter is to open the floor to a serious discussion of meeting our challenges with innovation, creativity and "out of the box" thinking.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
PARKING LOTS OR ROOF TOPS?
Daaaaaah which way do we go?
During JISD Board meeting, Supt. Stuart Bird gave an estimated cost of building a new parking lot for Busses to use at JHS. This parking lot is suppose to provide a safer environment for loading and unloading children. The estimate given by Mr. Bird was $124,000. As the discussion went on it was then mentioned that these figures did not include other costs such as architect's fees, etc...I reminded Mr. Bird and the Board of Trustees that Mr. Bird was asked about the safety of our children at the beginning of this school year and Mr. Bird stated that JISD provided an exceptionally safe environment for our children and how we had fewer accident claims than other area school districts. I then brought up the points given by Lindy Finley during the year on how we were saving money on insurance due to the lack of claims, etc...Now why is it we need this parking lot again? I asked of the Board that they seek firs to fix the roof at the Middle School which has been in need of repair for 2-3yrs. Or even to drive by East Side School and look at the big blue tarp on the roof there. I pleaded with them to not spend any more money on these parking lots, fences, and such things that they want. But rather that they stay focused on spending on the things which we need. I ended by stating that we need not look to Bond Packages to make these types of repairs, or even to add on classrooms if we were to focus less on wants than needs.Those of you who agree need to be calling these Board members and letting them know what you want and what you expect. By failing to do so you are sending the message that you don't care what they do with your money.
During JISD Board meeting, Supt. Stuart Bird gave an estimated cost of building a new parking lot for Busses to use at JHS. This parking lot is suppose to provide a safer environment for loading and unloading children. The estimate given by Mr. Bird was $124,000. As the discussion went on it was then mentioned that these figures did not include other costs such as architect's fees, etc...I reminded Mr. Bird and the Board of Trustees that Mr. Bird was asked about the safety of our children at the beginning of this school year and Mr. Bird stated that JISD provided an exceptionally safe environment for our children and how we had fewer accident claims than other area school districts. I then brought up the points given by Lindy Finley during the year on how we were saving money on insurance due to the lack of claims, etc...Now why is it we need this parking lot again? I asked of the Board that they seek firs to fix the roof at the Middle School which has been in need of repair for 2-3yrs. Or even to drive by East Side School and look at the big blue tarp on the roof there. I pleaded with them to not spend any more money on these parking lots, fences, and such things that they want. But rather that they stay focused on spending on the things which we need. I ended by stating that we need not look to Bond Packages to make these types of repairs, or even to add on classrooms if we were to focus less on wants than needs.Those of you who agree need to be calling these Board members and letting them know what you want and what you expect. By failing to do so you are sending the message that you don't care what they do with your money.
Monday, May 22, 2006
JISD Borders
Impimenting a Long Range Strategic Plan for Rebuilding JISD Facilities-
Together with members of the community, I will be seeking to get Board Members to put in place a long term plan for JISD and set short term goals which can be implimented with the support of the citizens of our district. Please stay tuned in with this forum for information on details of the plan, and to give feedback/opinions.
You can e-mail me at Robertedoug1@hotmail.com
Please feel free to respond, your personal info will be held in strict confidence. Remember this is your only real opportunity to have your voice heard and your wishes published.
Together with members of the community, I will be seeking to get Board Members to put in place a long term plan for JISD and set short term goals which can be implimented with the support of the citizens of our district. Please stay tuned in with this forum for information on details of the plan, and to give feedback/opinions.
You can e-mail me at Robertedoug1@hotmail.com
Please feel free to respond, your personal info will be held in strict confidence. Remember this is your only real opportunity to have your voice heard and your wishes published.
Monday, May 15, 2006
JISD ELECTIONS BRING NEW FACES
May 13th, 2006- JISD Board of Trstees Election resulted in two new members being elected to serve JISD. Mr. Al Chavira was beaten out of his seat on the Board, and Mr. Gary Minton did not seek another term. Both of these seats now are served by new members. Dr. Folden, the current board president, retained his seat easily defeating yours truly.
Two out of three being replaced should fair well for the District. I am looking forward to hearing how the tone of meetings changes, and watching for more fiscal responsability.
Only a few months until we can see if these new members can change things. I would like to say Thank you to all the other candidates for showing their concern for our district, and a great big Welcome aboard to Mr. Dale Jamerson and Mr. Joe Casey.
Two out of three being replaced should fair well for the District. I am looking forward to hearing how the tone of meetings changes, and watching for more fiscal responsability.
Only a few months until we can see if these new members can change things. I would like to say Thank you to all the other candidates for showing their concern for our district, and a great big Welcome aboard to Mr. Dale Jamerson and Mr. Joe Casey.
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