Wednesday, June 22, 2011

If you build it, they won't come

$105m high-tech school with robotics lab sits empty as there's no money for any staff

Hillcrest High School in Riverside, California, just spent $105 million on a high-tech school but there is no money left for staff.

  Superintendent Wendel Tucker said the decision to build the school was made when the economy was faring much better around five years ago.
But the building project could not stop once it had begun, he said.
He believes the state has cut $25million of funding in the last three years in his district, which has around 20,000 students.
‘It's extremely frustrating,' Hillcrest board member Greg Kraft said. 'We made a promise to the community, and I think we need to keep it.'

The bids coming back too high may be a blessing in disguise for Mt. Lebanon.  Jon Delano reported today that Pittsburgh Public Schools had to furlough or lay off 147 employees. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/06/22/pittsburgh-public-schools-lays-off-more-than-100-employees/

Why is this happening all around us, but not to us?  Was it because the School Board gouged us with a 10.5% tax increase last year?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392791/105m-high-tech-California-school-robotics-lab-sits-theres-money-staff.html#ixzz1Q2ntEHNM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Last October the Finance Chair found $1,000,000 in extra funds in the budget salary line alone.

$13,900,000 was transfered into the Capital Fund and $1,600,000 was transferred into the retired teachers healthcare fund.Does that shed any light on how overtaxed we are? Does it suggest this overtaxation is being done with the permission of the Board and the Superintendent?

How much padding is in the budget this year is anybody's guess. My guess is the board doesn't know because we have no Finance Committee to oversee the budget process this year. That was a slick move for the board President to not appoint a Finance Committee.

John Ewing

Lebo Citizens said...

John, I don't get it. The SB got lanced last year for raising our taxes 10.5% and this year, people think they are heroes for no tax increase. Is this Board made of Teflon? They promised to bring the renovation in under $95 million and when the bids come back this time, nowhere close to what was promised, they will be heroes again for getting rid of bike racks, 31,000 sq ft and LEED certification, but keeping everything else. It WAS a slick move for Josephine Posti to eliminate the Finance Committee, but she got away with it. There was more of reaction to pen names on this blog and my transparency.

Anonymous said...

Elaine, the transparency issue is nothing but a smoke screen to detract from other facts. You have been the victim of bullies on this subject too long. If folks don't like your blog you don't have to post their comments, Let the bullies (athletes) start their own blog You don't need to publish BS!

You have been victimized by this school board and their mouthpieces too long.

John Ewing