Teachers, other staff are more important than new building
I found it interesting that while our school system told county commissioners that because of funding issues, RSS is considering job layoffs of teachers, assistants and other staff, at the same time, they are requesting funding for a new central office. I know the present central offices are old and outdated, but at this time and with this economy, the folks that make a difference with test scores by interacting directly with our students should be given priority, not bricks and mortar.
At present, we are spending $40,000 for a redistricting study. In recent Post articles, Dr. Emerson has stated that he has no intention of redistricting. What a waste. Keep in mind that these monies are in addition to $50,000 spent on an earlier study that will probably recommend the same things that the present study will. That’s $90,000 of wasted funding. Yet we’ll cut personnel who work directly with our students but build a nice, new building.
The reason being stated for not redistricting is: we don’t need it. Currently, there are more than 100 mobile units at schools in Rowan County at a cost of approximately $25,000 each to purchase and set up. If this isn’t an indication that some schools are overcrowded while others are under utilized, then I’m not sure what is.
I have a wonderful idea for a new central school office. Let’s adjust the lines so we don’t need the mobile units, move the mobile units we already own to land the school system owns. If these have been good enough for our students, surely they’re good enough for our administration. The biggest unit in the middle can be named the Emerson School Board Meeting Mobile.
Let’s use some common sense.
ó Kevin Gilland
Salisbury
It’s hard to justify this expenditure
I have was shocked and disappointed when I read the article in Thursday’s Post relative to “school officials” still asking Rowan County citizens to provide almost $2.5 million for a new administrative office building. At this time of budget cutbacks and shrinking resources how can they justify such expenditures for a top-heavy administrative staff?
As justification for such grandiose ideas, Assistant Superintendent Gene Miller cited non-specific structural problems and safety issues. What structural problems and safety issues? I have been involved with real estate construction for more than 30 years, and I have yet to find problems of such nature that cannot be remedied for a fraction of the cost suggested for this new building.
Finance Officer Tara Trexler mentioned that the school system has more than $5 million in unrestricted funds, and Miller stated that the system has $1.8 million set aside for buildings. Why not use that for needed repairs to existing facilities? When such suggestions have been made, the answer has been “Oh, those are separate budgets and the funds cannot be mixed.” Hogwash. Appropriate steps can easily be taken to transfer funds between accounts. It all belongs to the Rowan County citizenry, not the “school officials.”
School officials recently suggested that several classroom positions might need to be eliminated because of budget constraints. Yet, they are planning a central office with such amenities as a test kitchen. Why do we need a test kitchen in the central office building while many of our high school students do not even have regular access to computers?
How can they ask our teachers to spread themselves even thinner while holding them to an almost impossible standard in the form of end-of-term test scores?
ó James Smith
Salisbury
Recent decisions show a lack of leadershipI just read that the county commissioners are going to give Rowan-Salisbury schools a huge sum of money to get them into a different headquarters building. This leads to the question: Where’s the leadership in Rowan County?
Our administration recently decided to bring a moral issue into the chambers. There is no excuse for our county commissioners to take the action they took on same-sex marriage. The grandstanding of the chairman, his pastor and many others was shameful. I am totally against same-sex marriage on every level, but there was no reason for that to be discussed in our county chambers.
Now, we find out that they are going to bankroll our school building.
No. 1: I don’t think they need it.
No. 2: I know there are other things that are needed in our school system.
No. 3: We can’t afford it! Rowan County isn’t a wealthy county, and unemployment is on the rise. Where’s this money coming from? We may have more urgent needs on the basic local level than a nice office building.
What does it take to have a recall vote? I would love to see all five of the commissioners yanked back out of office. They’ve been in office three months and, in my opinion, made some bone-headed moves!
I supported Laura Lyerly (for commissioner) last year. I was so sorry she dropped out of sight. I now wish I had voted for her, and I’m sure that there are many others in Rowan County who feel the same way. An absent commissioner can’t make the errors that ours are making right now.
ó Tim Mateer
Salisbury