This Year

BRADENTON -- On the surface this year’s budget resolution looks dismal, clouded with corruption and polluted by politics. The plan seems to keep schools, teachers and students from breaking through the surface of a struggling economy. However, in the past few months the heightened interest of Manatee County residents was a lifesaver to the most vulnerable part of the education system -- the children.

There was nothing jovial about last the meeting on July 11, 2011 when board members reluctantly approved, 3-2 with Julie Aranibar and Karen Carpenter opposing, a budget that would decrease employee pay dramatically by cutting salaries, requiring furlough days and increasing health insurance premiums. My heart went out to all my teacher friends who just purchased their first homes and are struggling to pay their mortgages. But as I was scrutinizing the whirlwind of school-board policies presented to me over the last few months, I walked into a wall of realization – the people of Manatee County had actually made a difference!

Of course there are still numerous questions left stagnant in humid summer heat. Questions residents have been asking all along . . .why have administrative costs gone up while enrollment has gone down? Why does  Superintendent McGonegal keep blaming the Class Size Amendment when he’s had 10 years to comply? Why are our test scores so low if we have so much staff?  Although not many of these questions have been answered clearly, the important thing is you’re asking.

It took McGonegal three tries before coming up with an acceptable budget the board could agree upon. Without the abundant concerns the community brought to the forefront of budget negotiations, there most likely wouldn’t have been as much line item analysis as there was this year. 

This year’s budget addressed several subtle but significant milestones. First and foremost, the revised version had much fewer cuts directly affecting the classroom. Under McGonegal’s first proposal, up to $4 million dollars of school budgets would be eliminated, that is an average of about $107,000 from every individual school. The new budget only cuts a total of $700,000 from schools, or an average of $18,700 per facility.

Citizens seemed to share a heightened awareness and a increased level of distrust from administration. More and more board meetings were filled with parents criticizing decisions. An overwhelming number of residents voted against the ”critical needs tax“ last November, as well as the repeal of the Class Size Amendment, even after the school board warned of ramifications. Then recently a school board ”trust survey" verified citizen skeptics, showing a 10 percent decline in confidence of district level administrators to follow through on their promises. Participants cited ”poor communication, unwillingness to provide feedback and the overall lack of clarity“ as reasons for their judgment. This disconnect was reported to have been felt most, when attempting to communicate with the Superintendent's Delta Team (District's Educational Leadership Team Assembly).

The distrust was amplified when some of the most important meetings of the year went untelevised on EDV-TV, the school board’s local network. Even though cameras were rolling during the entire assembly, the live broadcast was only viewable on the School Board premises or website. When concerned citizens did show up at headquarters for the budget proposal on June 26, McGonegal had listed the proposal as item number 65 on the agenda. It wasn’t even addressed until after 10 p.m. in a meeting that started at 5:30. Much of the crowd had left and the few that remained were nodding off, which may have been the plan all along.

Residents weren’t the only ones left in the dark. Julie Aranibar and Karen Carpenter have repeatedly requested information vital to their vote on certain issues – requests that frequently go ignored. In addition, newly formed organizations like Committee for Improving the Education of Children in Manatee County (CIEC) who have consistently addressed poor fiscal management, say that their public records requests were discouraged among School Board staff.

Because of pressure throughout the county criticizing School Board spending, It was necessary for McGonegal to hold some costly administration positions vacant, something that may not have been done had his first proposals not been scrutinized. He outsourced the Coordinator of Community Involvement, held the Assistant Director of Human Resources position vacant, eliminated one of his own secretaries and removed four positions in the construction department (a no-brainer since the department over-built and no new construction will take place in 2011/2012).

As far as teacher salaries are concerned, since 2002, entry-level salaries for teachers have increased 36 percent, or over $10,000. During the surplus years the district decided to pass on the profit to the teachers – which was a good thing. The goal was to attract good instructors in order to improve test scores.  This year, they face a 4.28 percent cut including furlough days. On the brightside, their pay is still higher than most counties in the state.

It is sufficient to say we made progress, but next year more drastic reforms are necessary. Manatee County has 250 more employees than other counties of similar size. With a $644 million dollar budget, there are definitely other areas where the district can cut the fat, but it’s up to residents to ensure there are no cuts to the classroom and no more cuts to teacher salaries. The community needs to make sure the majority of funding goes to further student education. So keep questioning ”the Man“ and he will most likely deliver.