We all know Florida State is cutting back on budgets for School Districts and other government agencies. So what happens when you have a School District staff that apparently cannot provide budget details to the School District Board to evaluate how to fund needed positions?
Well, the poor legacy of lame duck Lake County School District Anna Cowin continues - read this narrative from School Board member Cindy Barrow:
From Cindy Barrow, Board Member:
My pre-amble to this article is to give you one example of the budgeting frustration the board has encountered. There are two teaching positions in our district with different titles and different job responsibilities. They are: Potential Specialists who work specifically with our lowest quartile students to prevent drop-out and promote academic achievement, and our ILS positions that provide the needed assistance to our teachers to use the new technology that they are given to increases student success. The administration put this item on our agenda one time to decide how to fund these two positions; I put the item on a workshop agenda one time; and then I put the item on the last regular school board agenda. This is a total of three attempts to resolve how these positions would be funded. All three attempts have failed as the board was NOT presented by the administration with budget information to make this decision! This is one very small example of the frustration referenced in this article. At the last budget meeting, I asked for the percentage of increase in fuel costs that have been budgeted. Again, the administration could not provide the basic element of information which effects our budget by millions of dollars. Sincerely, Cindy Barrow
Our comment:
It is interesting to note that more than once I have been told that the staff can never locate Anna Cowin when someone like board members call. There is no public posting of her schedule and the staff cannot seem to provide information on her location. In contrast, the above quoted Cindy Barrow is known for always answering her phone, and she has basically made a part time elected position into a full time avocation. No one will miss Anna Cowin after she leaves in November.
vj
