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Health & Fitness

Stones Left Unturned at the Pasco School Board

Pasco schools are flat broke. But it doesn't have to be this way. Savings can be had, if we are willing to look in the right places and make the right choices.

Recently the school board here in Pasco County wrapped up its study of the potential benefits (and drawbacks) of converting to a 4-day school week. The intention was of course to determine if this might be a good method of cutting costs for a district that's deep in the red. The public outcry against this maneuver was quite loud, and both as a candidate for school board as well as a parent, I shared many of those same concerns. While we can applaud the board for taking a serious look at cutting costs, a collective sigh of relief was heard throughout Pasco County as the board unanimously decided that this was not right for Pasco County.

So...now what?

We all know that cuts are going to be made. The only question is, to what. Or whom, as the case may be. With teacher morale declining faster than home values, we must realize that returning to that same well to balance our books will only make a bad problem worse. Not to mention, if we are charged with providing an excellent education to Pasco students, we're only making that job more difficult by giving our best and most capable educators yet another reason to go elsewhere. But can a district that's facing deficits in the tens of millions, year after year, realistically focus on retaining the best teachers?

In a word, yes. We do have the means at our disposal to cut wasteful spending, they just require a proper focus on priorities and the political will to make them happen. Let's take a look at just a few of our options.

First, let's stop all unnecessary spending. This may seem like a given to most, but if you attend a few school board meetings, you'll get a first-hand look at the kind of non-critical expenditures that continue to be approved on a regular basis. Some large, some small. But so many which arguably could be postponed for a time when our district is no longer in the red. Amazingly, some of our board members have actually never cast a single "no" vote during their entire time in elected office. Ouch. Good stewardship and discernment must be the price of entry for anyone wishing to serve us on our school board.

Next, let's talk budgeting. More specifically, a "zero-based" budgeting approach. In a sharp contrast to a traditional approach where budgets are determined using previous year's spending as a jumping-off point, a zero-based budget ignores previous spending and instead starts from scratch. Departments must justify, in need and amount, the funds they are requesting. They must also clearly identify their specific mission and demonstrate how the requested funding ladders up to that mission. The result is identification and elimination of waste. Sometimes, in massive amounts. Sounds good, no? So why aren't we doing this already? Well, it's difficult. Really difficult. And time consuming. And uncomfortable. But we have to ask ourselves, in light of our ongoing fiscal crisis, can we really afford to not consider a new course? This school board candidate says no, not when we're talking about elimination of sports and arts programs, and oh yes, more teacher furlough days.

What about privatization of services such as transportation, food service, groundskeeping, custodial, and others? This is one of the more common tactics that other financially-strapped school districts turn to, often with great results. And the potential for savings can be significant, potentially in the millions. Of course, as with most things, there are pros and cons. A change of this magnitude would require a very thorough cost/benefit analysis, as well as a diligent RFP process. But when you're broke, as we most certainly are, you can ill-afford to leave a stone this large unturned.

Is there anything, else you ask? Certainly. How about asking why we have on average 5 Assistant Principles at each high school in Pasco County? What about considering a more free and open procurement process? What about performing a dependent eligibility audit? What about increased volunteer programs?

The fact is, there are many different ways we can and should be looking at cutting costs and eliminating waste which don’t degrade the quality of the education we give our children. It's time to start turning over some stones that have laid undisturbed for far too long.

 

Don Stephenson is a candidate for Pasco County School Board, district 2. His website is www.stephenson4pasco.com and he can be reached there through the contact link.

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