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By Staff
School board didn't provide answers
Editor:
If you didn't attend the city council work session on June 9, you missed another spectacle. Our famous, (or infamous), school board agreed to meet with the council and discuss building a new school.
One of the biggest hurdles this school board must overcome, is something that they created, which is trust. The majority of Hartselle citizens simply do not trust them. On two occasions, they have met with the council, and have not put anything on the table, as to what they could do to save money within the system. They did agree to give some start up" money toward the project, but that's all.
I found myself in agreement with the council on several issues. Our school system needs a state audit, and the school administration needs to show some accountability and trim the fat from their budget, and put those trimmings toward this project, every year. Andy Dukes actually (said) before the council, the fact that "a state audit was not going to be performed," and there was no fat in their budget. A $25 million plus budget, and there is nothing that can be trimmed?
I got a composite image of the entire school board that particular evening. The image is called "arrogance." They quickly got defensive, when asked credible questions from the council. They did invite the council to take the school's budget to any accountant, of their choosing. Anyone with a half a brain knows the difference between a yearly CPA audit, and a state compliance audit is like comparing ground beef to filet mignon.
Collectively, among the school board, there is many years of college education, and possibly several earned degrees that go along with the education. Therein lies the rub. With all those educated minds, not one of them knows that "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
Mike Dowdy, Hartselle