Here is exactly what the Tea Party Movement needs to be "fighting" against. The Fayetteville School Board is entertaining asking the people of Fayetteville for a tax increase in the midst of the worst economic times in recent history. I just have a few questions. Ones that we answer in our home before we buy anything these days?
1. What is the cost?
According to 3 estimates 112.1 million to 134.2 Million
2. Is this a need or want?
Definitely a want we already have a Highschool
3. How does this affect our financial plan?
Does the school board have a financial plan, or are they trying to keep up with the Jones's?
4. How do we pay for this?
Oh I know lets further stress the households of the people we are suppose to be serving by furthering them in debt and increasing their taxes
5. What the heck are we thinking?
ummmm maybe they are not there yet...perhaps we should form a committee to explore this question.
I would encourage anyone who lives in the Fayetteville School district to start making your voices heard, unless you are just wanting to pay more taxes, spend more money on aesthetics, and teach our children that the goal is to make sure we have the "Best" looking school not necessarily the "Best" quality school.
Wanna "do something"? Start here, start now!
Fayetteville school board http://www.fayar.net/schoolboard/currentboard2.html
Here is a column by Bob Caudle that is a must read on this issue....
School Plan Needs Magic To Succeed
The definition of insanity: Ask people to vote to increase their taxes during a recession.
A new 21st century Fudville (Fayetteville) High School will cost more than $100 million to build, equip and staff, according to a recent report in The Morning News.
To pay for the school, the Fudville district likely will need a property tax increase of 4.5 mills — or more — based on figures given to the Fudville School Board during a workshop last week.
Who's running the show in Fudville? Harry Potter? You'd need a wizard to get people to vote for a 4.5 mill tax increase during a recession.
And now, to bore you with some facts and figures, only because I need to in order to point out other absurdities in the school's leadership, such as hiring a new superintendent for $200,000.
But according to a report in The Morning News, a new high school is the largest construction project ever undertaken by the district or board.
Other new schools or major renovations in recent years, such as Owl Creek School, at $17 million, cost a fraction of the estimated cost of a new high school.
Board members received three cost estimates from the project's architects and engineers. The cost was placed $134.2 million based on the master plan developed by Concordia LLC. Two variations of the plan developed by the school district staff were estimated to cost $121.1 million and $112.1 million.
Each of the plans include LEED Silver certified buildings, academic spaces, a new media center and a prominently placed performing arts center. The differences in the three plans involve use of some existing facilities and keeping the current administration building on the site.
Both of the variations developed by district staff show Stone Street closed with buildings constructed spanning the street. District officials have not officially requested the street be closed, and the Fayetteville City Council would have to approve any street closing.
Well, la-de-da.
Springdale upgrades Springdale High School and closes Emma Avenue.
Fudville feels it has to close a street to one-up Springdale.
Rogers and Springdale build second high schools.
Fayetteville doesn't because it wants to be the "super school" in Northwest Arkansas.
This whole "new Fudville High School," has become as much fun to watch as a "Three Stooges" episode. (One of the ones with Curly, not those other two impostors.)
The school board had the current school sold to the University of Arkansas before sitting on their hands until the UA withdrew its offer.
FHS officials sent a list of things they'd like from the UA, basically asking for a partnership ... in addition to the money.
That's like selling a house to somebody then going, "By the way, we still want to use the pool."
These people have formed committees to study a new school site, keeping the same school site, upgrading the school, and anything else you can think of to repeatedly keep forming committees.
Somewhere, there's an oversight committee to oversee the committee on oversight.
Next, they'll hire a consultant to study whether the feasibility committee is feasible.
But, then, they'd have to form a committee to make sure it's feasible to hire a feasibility consultant to study feasibility.
They've committee-ed the school district to death.
Here's just a suggestion to the Arkansas Department of Education: Let the Greenland School District annex Fayetteville.
In two years, Dr. Roland Smith, the state-appointed superintendent of Greenland will have turned that school district around financially.
Say what you will (and I have) about the Greenland School District, at least their students will know what the Greenland school looks like and where it is.
Fayetteville students should be so lucky.
