Where Do They Get This Money? (Part 2)

So I hopped up to Hale for a Facilities presentation to the public on the Hale renovation. My main concern was the chimney which either has to be taken down by half or altogether (it's a seismic issue and one of the main reasons that Hale got put forth on this BEX III along with the seismic problems in the library). Well, the chimney is getting taken care of but now, according to the architects, they're taking it all down. The design looks very nice, more natural light, new finishes overall, getting rid of portables, new classroom space.

However, right there, on the cover sheet under Quick Facts, was another amazing Facilities coup.

"Budget - $84.8M"

Whaaaat? Let's go back and double-check that bond language and yes, it says, "$77.6". So where'd the nearly $8M extra come from? Vapors?

Boy, the next time this district cries poor, it should fall on deaf ears. They have more money than they know what to do with.

Comments

dan dempsey said…
Boy, the next time this district cries poor, it should fall on deaf ears. They have more money than they know what to do with.

Except no money for reducing class size or adding an additional math teacher at WSHS.

Lots of $$$ for making needless changes that have no positive effect on student academic performance.

Let us order in another round of consultants.

Remeber the Phi Delta Kappa report due in January --- it is now due in February -- It is now February 2008 (could be coming along any day or not).
2/12/08, 7:54 AM
Anonymous said…
Thanks to Dan Dempsey for the perfect phrasing of a response to a common problem. We may want to borrow your words as we ask about "bricks vs. educational programs" in Charleston when it comes up next fall. Taxpayers will eventually foot the bill, either way. We'd just like to see success in the classroom first and then maybe a reversal in our shrinking public school enrollment might justify a new capital campaign. The issues in Seattle and Charleston appear to be very similar. Thanks for framing them so well.
2/12/08, 11:35 AM
Anonymous said…
Libertarians have long noted a phenomenon in government: when faced with a shortfall, agencies trim back essential services first, so that when the money runs short for fixing the roof or keeping fire trucks running, they can ask for emergency funds.

On the other hand, cutting money from internal bureaucracy is a lose-lose, because it makes internal enemies and doesn't make emergency funds any more likely.

I have no idea if this is the situation in SPS, but it sure sounds lke it.

See also the Brodeur column today talking about tiles falling on kids' heads.
2/12/08, 12:31 PM
Anonymous said…
Yes, when you can't afford to live in a big house, its always wisest to get rid of essential services first like water and fire trucks.

The trouble with letting go of administrators in syncratic bureaucracies is they won't leave willingly without a better package of benefits.

Sueing for wrongful dismissful is the easiest way to retire and get paid off by your friends without raising eyebrows.
2/13/08, 5:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, grief, that is to come fro
Read more

MEETING CANCELED - Hey Kids, A Meeting with Three(!) Seattle Schools Board Directors

 Update 2: So I have seen a message from President Liza Rankin on why she, Director Evan Briggs, and Director Michelle Sarju backed out of this meeting.  In a nutshell: - She says there was no organization to the meeting which is just not true. They had a moderator lined up and naturally the board members could have set parameters for what to discuss, length of meeting, etc. All that was fleshed out. - She also claimed that if the meeting was PTA sponsored, they needed to have liability insurance to use the school space. Hello? PTAs use school space all the time and know they have to have this insurance.  - She seems to be worried about the Open Public Meetings law. Look, if she has a meeting in a school building on a non-personnel topic, it should be an open meeting. It appears that Rankin is trying, over and over, to narrow the window of access that parents have to Board members. She even says in her message - "...with decisions made in public." Hmmm - She also says that th
Read more