Shaky Ground

This week it became apparent to all in attendance that the School Board is not as comfortable with the Department of Education as they have appeared to be in recent years. Questions are rising regarding policies for purchasing and it is clear that some on the Board feel that some overstepping is taking place. What gave rise to the rift is unknown, but it is there. While I believe that all on the Board are in favor of renovations to Building 8, there has been lengthy discussion regarding procedures. More than one feels that large expenses should come before the Board, though the current policy does not require Board approval unless line item transfers are needed or the fund balance is tapped. If a purchase comes from the current budget and follows bid guidelines, the Board is basically out of the loop. Should the School Board have to approve every purchase made by the Department of Education? It would be cumbersome to expect all expenditures to go before the Board but, in the interest of playing well with others and keeping the rule keepers happy, I would think that the DOE would run any purchase of significance before its governing body. For a group that has prided itself on the unity that it presented in the current building program, it seems to be an odd move, at best, for the DOE to now be sidestepping the Board. This Board has been solid in its support of the building plan and even those that had questions acquiesced graciously to the majority. They battled the County Commission for funding, sounding the political battle cry when they were challenged on the issue. As a group, they have stood firm and that is why the current turn of events are both puzzling and alarming.

Longtime Chairman Potts declined the chair position in the September meeting and she has been vocal regarding her concerns about the Board being left out of the loop on Building 8 plans, which were sent to the Fire Marshal, along with payment for review, prior to the Board’s meeting and discussion of the plans. From her comments, I believe that Potts is in favor of the project, just not the procedure that sidestepped Board approval. And she is not the only Board Member that has questioned DOE actions in recent meetings.

If the working relationship between the Board and the DOE is on shaky ground, what does that mean for upcoming issues? The Board was informed this week that funds for several current and upcoming projects will be coming from the Maintenance and Operations budget. Phagan, Director of Business Affairs, has already given notice that funds will likely be short for projects toward the end of the year due to absorbing these unforeseen costs. Yet, the Board has expressed concern that some already funded capitol projects are not getting off of the ground and they are questioning completion dates. It would appear that mending fences, whatever that takes, should be the first project that the DOE undertakes.

I am not sure what the answer for this Board and the DOE will be. Can they re establish the trust that appears to currently be in shambles? I don’t know. Trust is much easier to break than it is to mend. And, I seriously doubt that a rift of this size comes from an issue easily corrected. Politics makes for strange friends and strong enemies. And from the outside, sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference.