>>SOUTHERN INDIANA —
Last week the New Albany-Floyd County Board of school Trustees voted to accept Superintendent Bruce Hibbard’s proposal and close four elementary schools among other major cuts, in order to balance the budget. It was a decision that was not very popular and one that I am sure was hard for the members to make. The proposal makes it possible to relieve most of an almost $7 million shortfall in the school system’s budget while avoiding major teacher layoffs. I think it is important that we all try to get through this event without pointing any fingers.
One of the problems that I have with the way this decision was handled is the timing. A budget crisis of this kind didn’t happen overnight, yet only a couple of weeks went by when the proposal was announced, the public was given a chance for input, and then the final decision was made. All of this happened within a few short days of the filing deadline for anyone who would like to be on the ballot for a chance to be on the school board. It also made it impossible to research and implement any alternatives.
It’s incredible to me that anyone could make such an important decision with this significant of an impact on our county’s schools in such a quick timeframe. The timing of this announcement to control the outcome of the election is unforgivable and should be looked into. Of course the aggressive timeline might just be coincidental.
Some people blame the budget crisis on a new funding plan that was decided on a few years ago. The money for schools and education was switched from primarily coming from local property taxes to a far less reliable source of mostly sales tax and some gaming revenue. A few weeks ago our State Rep. Ed Clere wrote a column in The Tribune refusing to point fingers also. In it he placed blame on his predecessor and basically anyone that was in the legislature before he came on board, but mostly Democrats.
The Indiana governor this week got his feelings hurt when he thought he was being blamed for our budget crisis. My Man Mitch seemed to think it was unfair for him to accept the blame for our shortfall. His portion of the cut in the budget “only” amounted to 3$ million. He said that our system had one of the worst reputations for getting money to the classrooms. I am not sure if the governor is aware but the State Superintendent of Public Instruction was a member of this administration just a few short years ago and his assistant deserted our school system, as the crisis was unfolding, just last year. The governor (who doesn’t mind pointing fingers) put the blame at the hands of the teachers and their union for not coming to the table and freezing their salaries for the coming year.
Hundreds of people attended a public hearing a few nights before the final decision was made. Their cries for more time to look for other solutions fell on deaf ears as it appeared the meeting was only a formality. Many people questioned the wisdom of closing schools that were ranked among the top schools in the state. A concerned father asked the superintendent if he had made any concessions and if he was willing to take a pay cut in order to save money.
The officials in Indianapolis have warned that there could be more cuts to education if the economy does not turn around soon. I am curious what else could be done to save money. What if after closing these schools there is another major shortfall next year? Will teacher positions be cut? Our school board and the administration need to be proactive in order to avoid the hasty decisions that they were forced into this year.
The New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation has many outstanding schools, teachers, parents and students. I have no doubt that they will persevere and get through this crisis. Many children will be in new schools next year most of which are too young to understand the reasoning. I hope that we can all stop pointing fingers and work on making this transition as easy on the students as possible.
Columns
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Columnist Matt Nash, photographed July 22, 2009. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Discussion
NASH: I refuse to point fingers
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