THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504280169
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
In regard to School Superintendent Sid Faucette's school budget request for gifted children, I do not think that this is a fair request. All children should receive equally in the budget. Why should the taxpayers be required to foot the bill for gifted children? If parents want their children to receive extras, they should pay for them. Let these gifted children advance to the next grade if their knowledge is above the grade they are enrolled in.
I hope that other taxpayers will write and express their opinions, before Mr. John ``Q'' Public is taxed out of Virginia Beach educating gifted children and paying for unnecessary ``frills.''
Whatever has happened to the reading, writing and arithmetic which were the backbone of our country over the years?
Mrs. M. M. Elswick
Virginia Beach The `puzzling' finances of the city school system
Editorial-page editor Beth Barber is to be commended for pointing out many discrepancies between appearance and reality in presentations by the school superintendent to both City Council and the School Board, as well as others. It is unfortunate that the public seems to be interested only in each immediate issue and its relationship to them individually and specifically and does not seem to care how money is being used or how and if anticipated results are being attained. It is unfortunate that the public jumps on the comments about second-rate schools as a rallying point rather than Ms. Barber's reflections on what is actually occurring in our city educational system.
It is difficult to explain how more money should be spent for buildings and technology when current and past expenditures do not reflect responsible conservative spending and execution of plans. I support many of the innovations. But I must question the sincerity of the plans when they appear to be mentioned only to divert attention from other activities and diversions in the system.
The economic situation of our school system is puzzling: The city's leading real-estate agent appears to be Superintendent Faucette. Buildings that have not been included on the city's list of highest-occupancy buildings appear to suddenly become hot commodities. They have unusual and sudden usefulness for educational purposes at astronomical purchase and renovation costs. Prior budget authorization for these purchases is not necessary, nor is justification on the basis of sound educational principles needed.
I recall when Dr. Faucette came here he was going to save the city money by switching to site-based management. He said he was saving a million dollars by eliminating administrators and supervisors. He hired, fired and demoted longtime employees. Now he proposes to hire their replacements back at a cost of a million dollars. The difference, I assume, is that these are his people.
I must wonder why the school system is unwilling to require the people responsible for the ``sick'' schools to fix them. School construction and renovation costs have risen consistently since this superintendent came to the city, yet nobody seems to ask where the controls and remedies are for past mistakes and how continuing problems are being addressed.
The group not being considered in this area is Virginia Beach taxpayers, who have consistently supported quality education and special programs. Calling programs fancy names with no purposeful intent or objectives in sight is not an appropriate use of money under any circumstances. Richer neighborhoods tend to get additions to schools, but the money runs out and poorer neighborhoods get more portables.
City schools until 1993 received operating appropriations by category, as allowed by state law. At that time, the City Council voted to give the School Board money in a lump sum with no restrictions attached. That, in part, has produced the problems in existence today.
City Council has in place a rule that appropriations over the amount of $10,000 cannot be increased or transferred by the city manager without council's authorization. In several instances in the past, the city manager has simply made more than one $10,000 transfer at a time to avoid the rule. This year the city manager is requesting that council raise the amount that can be transferred without prior approval to $100,000, which is non-sense.
I have no doubt that council members will fall all over each other trying to get rid of as much responsibility as possible and will therefore vote to give the city manager free rein. If all this extra money is lying around to be appropriated and shifted at random, then a sharper pen needs to be used so that such large surpluses do not exist.
I would assume that the School Board will then be voting to give the school superintendent the same privileges given to the city manager. This should not be allowed!
Reba McClanan
Virginia Beach Mrs. McClanan is a former member of City Council. by CNB