“Motion Sickness” Plagues School Board During Joint Meeting
The Jefferson County School Board and the Jefferson County Budget Committee held a joint meeting on Thursday, December 15, 2016 at the Patriot Academy to discuss and take action on the White Pine School Project. Preceding the joint meeting the School Board held their own meeting to conduct some end of the year business and take action on the White Pine School Project.
School Board Member Cox made the first motion of the evening in relation to the White Pine School Project and it would be followed with seven additional motions from the School Board regarding funding for the project. Board Member Cox made the motion to move $800,000 held in reserve in the Department of Education fund balance to the White Pine School Project and for the movement of funds to be presented to the County Commission as soon as possible. He was 2nd by Board Member Jarnigan and the motion passed 5-2 ( Potts, Bradley).
Earlier this year the School Board had designated $200,000 of budgeted capital projects funds be appropriated to the Jefferson County High School Baseball Stadium for repairs that were deemed necessary. In Cox’s second motion of Thursday’s meeting he moved to amend the motion that distributed those funds and instead split the $200,000 in capital project funds between equipping the fly space at the Jefferson County High School Auditorium ( $113,700) and White Pine School Project ( $86,300). Because the motion was to amend a previously approved motion it required a 2/3 majority vote. School Board Members Potts and Bradley addressed their concerns regarding the movement of capital project funding away from identified capital project needs across the County and diverting it to the ongoing project at White Pine School. Both Board Member Potts and Board Member Bradley noted the diversion of $646,000 from the 2016/17 capital projects list to the White Pine Project, pointing to a project list with no funding. School Board Member Fair queried if the funds from the baseball stadium project could not be used to fill part of the capital project list rather than being applied toward equipping the fly box. Board Member Jarnigan reminded the Board that the fly box was a part of the capital projects list. Director of Maintenance and Business Affairs for the Department of Education Phagan stated that the baseball stadium project received no bids and that the stadium is at the early end of a 3-5 year repair according to engineers.. He said that the stadium project could be funded in July during the next budget cycle. Cox’s motion to appropriate the stadium funding, which was 2nd by Solomon, failed to find a 2/3 majority ( Fair, Potts, Bradley voting No).
In his third attempt to move funds to the White Pine School Project to meet cost projections of $3,569,181 Board Member Cox moved to amend the motion approving $200,000 for baseball stadium repair funding to allocate $86,300 of those funds for White Pine School. Again the motion was 2nd by Solomon and this time it found favor passing 5-2 with Potts and Bradley voting No. Board Member Cox also brought a motion to accept a reduction in professional fees for the White Pine School Project in the amount of $10,942. He was 2nd by Board Member Fair and the motion passed 6-1 ( Potts). The final motion regarding the White Pine School Project prior to the joint meeting of the School Board and the Budget Committee came from Board Members Jarnigan and Cox who made a motion to take $12,000 from the Maintenance Budget for the Department of Education to begin busting up the cafeteria floor at White Pine School during the Christmas Break. The motion passed 6-1 with Potts voting No.
At the conclusion of the School Board meeting, the Joint Meeting of the Jefferson County Budget Committee and the School Board was called to order by Budget Committee Chairman Scarlett. Chairman Scarlett stated that the meeting was at the request of County Commissioner for the 3rd District ( White Pine) and Budget Committee Member Baxley. The Jefferson County Budget Committee brings recommendations to the full Commission body regarding funding and appropriations for both the County and School side of the Budget. Chairman Scarlett stated that the Budget Committee would be asked to take action on a request from the School Board to move $646,000 previously approved to fund their 2016/2017 School System Wide Capital Projects List to the White Pine School Project. The Committee was also requested to approve the move of $800,000 being held in the Department of Education General Fund to the White Pine School Project . Other actions for the movement of funds ( $86,700 from the baseball stadium repairs to the White Pine School Project as well as $12,000 from the DOE Maintenance Budget to break up cafeteria floors at White Pine School) that were taken by the School Board do not require the approval of the County Commission.
Several Budget Committee Members questioned the steep increase in cost of the White Pine School Project. The initial funding for the project was $2 million dollars, funded in a 50/50 split between the County Commission and the School Board. The project was to include a cafeteria renovation, a band room and six classrooms. Choice of the architectural firm was the decision of the School Board and according to a motion from the Budget Committee the plans for the project had to go before the Budget Committee for approval. Since the inception of the project the cost has increased nearly 30% . Budget Committee Member Huffaker stated that she has concerns regarding the cost and the Department of Education’s plan to forgo professional roof installation in favor of the School’s Maintenance Department and prison labor installing the roof. Budget Committee Member McGraw likened the lack of professional installation to buying a new car with old tires, stating that it makes no functional sense to cut costs in areas that are necessary to the function and safety of the building. Budget Committee Member and County Commission Chair Carmichael pointed to a lengthy contract negotiation and around $17,000 in attorney fees on behalf of the School System as a factor. He said that the County attorney, who was overseeing the architectural contract on behalf of the County, only cost less than half and that the hold up and time delay was directly related to School’s architectural firm’s refusal to come to terms on what should have been a simple contract. Budget Committee Member Tucker indicated that he was willing to approve the diverting of capital project funds as long as the School Board was aware that they could not come back to the County Commission with emergency capital project needs as has been previously done on several occasions. Commissioner Baxley made the motion to approve the movement of $646,000 in funds from the School’s Capital Projects to the White Pine School Project. He was 2nd by Budget Committee Member Beeler. The Motion failed 6-4 with Committee Members Scarlett, Carmichael, Seals, Douglas, Huffaker and McGraw voting No.
Budget Committee Member Douglas, who brought the issue of White Pine School to the Budget Committee several months ago, stated that he is uncomfortable with the cost increase, echoing the sentiments of several of his fellow Commissioners. He stated that he would like to see a re evaluation of the plans in an attempt to stick closer to budget. Douglas said that he would like to see renovation of the cafeteria at White Pine School, which has been a vocal issue of concern to Commissioner McGraw and other members of the County Commission, put on the fast track noting that the cafeteria project could be in progress while plans and funding on other parts of the project are being identified and tweaked. Committee Member Douglas made a motion to fund the kitchen/cafeteria at White Pine School, estimated to cost $910,000, with $455,000 from County Commission funds allocated for the project and $455,000 from School Board funds allocated for the project. Douglas was 2nd by McGraw and the Motion was approved 8-2 with Committee Members Beeler and Baxley voting No.
School Board Member Solomon made the motion to accept the offer of the budget committee for the 50/50 funding split of the White Pine School kitchen/cafeteria and he was 2nd by School Board Member Potts. School Board Chairman Vines stated that he would like to take the $646,000 request that failed in budget committee before the full County Commission. Budget Committee Chair Scarlett and County Commission Chair Carmichael stated that acceptance of the offer would not negate the ability of the School Board to present their request to the County Commission, it would just insure that the cafeteria project would start without delay. Acceptance would also allow for an emergency called meeting, which could take place without the usual waiting period for notification and would have allowed action before the holidays to be able to utilize break time for renovations to begin. Board Member Potts urged the Board to consider the motion, as it would not impact their ability to appear before the County Commission but would allow some action on the White Pine project. The motion failed 3-4 with Potts, Solomon and Bradley voting in favor. Board Member Cox offered a motion to amend the capital projects list removing the fly box and intercom system from the approved 2016/17 capital projects list ( with funding for the remaining projects intact) and move $407,100 of capital projects funding to the White Pine School Project. He was 2nd by Solomon and the motion passed 5-2 with Potts and Bradley voting No.
Board Member Jarnigan made a motion to take $238,000 from the School System fund balance to go toward the White Pine School Project and that motion was also approved by the School Board in a like vote ( 5-2). Budget Committee Members Beeler and Baxley made a motion to approve the School Board request to move $238,000 from fund balance and $407,100 from capital projects funding to the White Pine School Project. The motion failed in a 6-4 vote with Beeler, Baxley, Tucker and Eslinger voting Yes. Committee Members Tucker and Beeler offered a failed motion to encourage the School Board to reconsider the allocation offer of a 50/50 split for immediate funding of the cafeteria. Budget Committee Chair Scarlett stepped aside briefly to address the School Board. He stated that the allocation offer for immediate funding of the cafeteria was not in lieu of completion of the White Pine School Project but a way to move on the project while details of funding, costs and plans ( which require County Commission approval) are ironed out. Director of Schools Edmonds concurred with the previous statement of White Pine School Principal Walker that the order of importance for the project are cafeteria/kitchen, band room and then classroom space. While Director Edmonds stopped short of recommending that the School Board accept the funding split offered by the budget committee, he said that he would like to see the work on the cafeteria/kitchen move on to the next phase, as it is the most impacting for the student body as a whole.
Despite the continuation of discussion for several more minutes, the meeting adjourned without any joint consensus on costs or funding for the White Pine School Project and no further action taken by the School Board to insure the funding for the project work on the cafeteria/kitchen at White Pine School. The Budget Committee and the County Commission will convene after the New Year and the item will be on the agenda. Current bid prices on the project are good until the third week in January. During the holiday break crews will work to break up the cafeteria floor at the school, as the $12,000 needed for that portion of the project will come from the regular Department of Education budget.
