Sumner County's Portable Schools

Local grassroots advocacy group Strong Schools has a new video out highlighting the proliferation of portable classrooms in the system.

The video points to the stark reality that thousands of kids every day attend class in portables -- supposedly temporary solutions to growth that have become permanent fixtures at schools across the county. 

They also note that this is not a recent phenomenon - that some portables have been on campuses for ten years or more.

Here's the video:

The Response to Jerry Stone's "Citizen Engagement"

So, County Commissioner Jerry Stone has made it clear he doesn't like it when his own constituents express their concerns or disagreements on his campaign Facebook page. 

Now, citizens are letting Jerry Stone know how they feel about his relative lack of engagement with those he claims to represent.  A meme is circulating that makes the point quite clear:

Stonewalled!

It seems incumbent County Commissioner Jerry Stone is not please with dialogue about how best to improve schools.  Here's his recent Facebook status:

Reelect Jerry Stone Sumner County Commissioner

13 hours ago

I have removed and blocked several posts from SS members. They are not interested in facts. They have an agenda and they stick to it. They blocked me from their site several months ago, I will unblock them when they unblock me.


The claim Stone makes about being blocked is false, by the way.  The group posted a list of currently blocked individuals, containing 7 people.  Jerry Stone is not on that list and leaders of the organization insist he's never been blocked.

This issue apparently arose because after Stone posted false claims about parent-led advocacy group Strong Schools on his page, several members of that organization took the time to respond. When presented with facts about the schools and with pleas from members of Strong Schools to stop making gross generalizations, Stone's son, Nathan, began responding and was joined by SURG supporters Donna DeSopo and Kurt Riley. 

Commissioner Stone's only response has been to post that he's blocking those who disagree with him or who attempt to engage him in dialogue about schools. 

SURG claims that Stone is the only current County Commissioner who is a member of their organization.  And their leadership is standing behind Stone in the 2014 elections.

This is the same Jerry Stone who opposed a proposal to use funds from the Sumner County's nearly $30 million in reserves to help bridge the gap in the 2012 school system proposed budget.  This would have prevented a tax increase and allowed time for discussion of alternatives. 

Just a few months later, though, Stone supported using reserve funds to bailout the County's mismanaged insurance trust.

More recently, Stone has come out in favor of a property tax increase to support the addition of a new judge in Sumner County. Why does he support this tax? Because the position is needed due to growth. No word on whether SURG leaders are taking Stone to task because of his support for higher taxes.

It's early in election season, but Jerry Stone's Facebook page is certainly proving to be interesting reading.  That is, if you enjoy reading Jerry's complaints about how his constituents want to engage in dialogue but all he wants to see is people who agree with his point of view.

Schell Seeks County Commission Seat

Small business owner Leslie Schell, who sought a School Board seat last year when Shannon Dunn resigned, is now planning a run for County Commission.

Schell, who has four children in Sumner County Schools, was passed over by the County Commission for an open School Board seat in August.  The Commission instead chose Janet Arnold, a close ally of Commissioner Jerry Stone.

Schell will be running in District 4, a seat with only one incumbent seeking re-election.  Current Commissioner Joe Matthews is seeking a Court Clerk position.  That leaves Frank Freels as the lone incumbent in the race to face Schell and Bubba Angell, who has also indicated his candidacy.

Schell gained community support by actively seeking the School Board seat and attending a community forum to discuss her views.  She now says she believes she can have the biggest impact on schools by being a pro-schools advocate on the County Commission.

A Taxing Judge

Sumner County Commissioners are on the way to creating a new judgeship in the county -- at a cost of nearly $1 million a year.  Funding the position would likely require a small tax increase (1 3/4 cents) and there are conflicting reports regarding its necessity.

Commissioner Chair Merrol Hyde, who won't support a tax increase of any kind, even for the schools he once led as Director, opposes the idea.  However, Commissioners Jerry Stone and Jim Vaughn, typically Hyde allies, are in favor of the move. They say the position is needed, though they have consistently opposed any sort of revenue increase or financial prioritization that would mean more funds for an overcrowded school system with more than 70 portable classrooms.

Creating the judgeship now would allow the County Commission to appoint a judge to fill the slot after September, 2014. That incumbent judge would then be placed on the ballot in the 2016 election.

Some have suggested that the Commission is rushing the decision in order to gain the appointment power and that at least one sitting County Commissioner is interested in being named to the seat. 

Forsythe vs. Hyde: Or, is it a park or not?

It seems Merrol Hyde and Jerry Stone are in a bit of a row with Garry Forsythe -- of course, given Stone and Hyde's propensity to challenge anyone (schools, the library, the airport board), it's no surprise they are now confused about their dealings with former imaginary Mayoral candidate and terminated Mayoral aide Garry Forsythe.

Here's the story.

Basically, a couple of investors have bought some land near the Hendersonville Public Library that many thought was part of a park.  They say they have "exciting" plans.  They promise to keep the common, public space...well, common and public. 

And it seems that no one is really paying attention to what happens at important meetings where decision like who owns what piece of land are being made. 

Tena Lee's Wild Ride

Tena Lee writes in today's Hendersonville Star News about the 2014 County Commission and School Board races.

She suggests Sumner County is in for a "wild ride" between now and election day -- when voters will hear conflicting messages about the state of our schools.

One the one side, grassroots organization Strong Schools -- calling for more funding for schools and the election of County Commissioners who will support that funding, even if it means a small tax increase.

On the other, the Merrol Hyde-Jerry Stone faction of the County Commission -- a group locked down against any tax increase.  That faction insists instead that the School Board should simply make do with what it has.

Lee's piece is compelling because while parents have packed the County Commission chambers on numerous occasions (including this past Monday for the Janet Arnold-Leslie Schell vote) historically, turnout has been terribly low for primary and general elections for County offices. 

If parents whine and complain, but don't vote, there will have been 2+ years of intense conflict resulting in little actual policy change.

On the other hand, with turnout numbers so typically low, involving just 100-200 new voters in some districts may be enough to change the outcome and elect someone new to County Commission or School Board. 

In either case, the next 9-12 months promise to be quite interesting and possibly even wild.

Jerry Stone's Candidate List

So, the Star News has this story about the vacancy in School Board District 5 from Shannon Dunn's resignation. In the story, County Commissioner Jerry Stone indicates he has been compiling a list of candidates to run for School Board in 2014 -- ostensibly, candidates who line up with his views about schools. 

In this case, he noted he'll be recommending Janet Arnold, because, "she shares his views, both fiscally and socially.."

The comments and the existence of Stone's List cause some to wonder who else Stone may be recruiting across the County to run for School Board or other office.  What is the criteria for making Stone's List?

One thing is certain, Stone is no fan of the grassroots organization Strong Schools.  Stone reportedly told one district voter that he wasn't interested in the views of Strong Schools in terms of who might be appointed to this seat.

Janet's Not Talking

The article noted that two individuals, Janet Arnold (Stone's hand-picked candidate) and Leslie Schell (a mom with 4 kids in Sumner County Schools) have expressed interest in the appointment.  While Schell participated in a candidate forum held Monday in Hendersonville and has answered a list of 15 questions submitted by Strong Schools, Arnold did not attend the forum and said in the article (regarding the Strong Schools survey) that she  "no plan to complete their questionnaire at the moment."



The County Commission has called the meeting to select the replacement Board member for August 26th at 6:00 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin. 



 

Dunn resigns School Board Seat

District 5 School Board member Shannon Dunn resigned her seat Monday citing a recent move out of her district.

Dunn's seat will be up for election in the August 2014 elections -- but with the early vacancy, the County Commission (no friend of properly-funded schools of late) will choose her successor.  More specifically, the Commission will look to the Commissioners who represent Dunn's district for advice on who to place on the Board.  That means Budget Chair Jerry Stone (a leading opponent of school funding in recent years) and Paul Freels will make the recommendation.

Stone has indicated that political unknown Janet Arnold of Goodlettsville has expressed a willingness to serve. 

A Budget Battle Summary - 2011 to Present

It seems like it's always been going on.  A budget battle between the School Board who wants more money for schools and the County Commission who resists providing the funds.  With a school system that operates with old technology, underpaid teachers and staff, numerous portables, and PTOs and parents chipping in at least 15% MORE than what the County allocates, it seems hard to argue that the Board's recent requests for more money represent excess.  In fact, in the 2011 negotiations, the Commission found only $300,000 in expenses it deemed excessive in the scope of a $180 million budget.

That said, this article attempts to summarize the key turning points in the budget fights of recent years as we head into budget season again, starting with the Board's budget-related meeting in mid-May. 


2011

It started with a proposed CAP on school spending artificially imposed by the County Commission BEFORE the school system's budget was considered by the School Board. The School Board didn't like that idea and requested a budget that was $12 million over the cap and that would have reduced or eliminated many school fees.

After the Commission rejected this initial budget, the Board cut more than $6 million from the request and sent it back.  Commissioners Jerry Stone and Kirk Moser balked at this and suggested the schools try again.  The School Board then deferred action on the budget, taking some time to consider the most judicious cuts. After mulling things over a bit, the Board then narrowly decided to ask new Director of Schools Del Phillips to propose cuts to get much closer to the Commission's suggested budget number.

Layoffs of school employees were predicted and a centralization of bookkeepers which would have cost at least 20 jobs was considered, then rejected.  With projections growing dire, County Executive Anthony Holt joined the chorus of County leaders calling for less funding for schools.

The Board then adopted a "cuts budget" that met the County Commission's spending requirement. It was pointed out that a property tax increase of about $5 a month for the average property owner in Sumner would more than cover the School System's budget needs.  Some County Commissioners, however, were unwilling to entertain such an increase.

The "cuts budget" - narrowly passed by the Board, was kicked back to the County Commission, where members of key committees were changing just in time for key votes.

Both the County Commission's Education Committee and Budget Committee approved the cuts budget.

The County Commission then sent the Budget back to the School Board, requesting that the Board find a way to NOT cut jobs ... After the Board initially requested $12 million more than the Commission had allocated and after a month of fighting, the Commission finally gave in and offered $500,000 more to schools so that 40 jobs could be saved (which is not much money per job, really).  Textbooks, raises, elimination of fees, and added faculty for growth were all cut out.

In October, the Board indicated that the 2012 year would also require more funding -- and be more problematic to fix if the Commission did not come up with additional funds. Then, in November, the Commission put a Wheel Tax on the March ballot.

2012

With 2011 in the books and 2012 presenting a new opportunity (and a Wheel Tax vote), conditions did not improve.  In fact, as budget time drew near, things got worse. 

By February, the groundwork was being laid for what would become the 2012 School Budget Battle.

Then, there was a shortfall in anticipated state funds.

Not surprisingly, in March, voters rejected the Wheel Tax. Following the Wheel Tax vote, Commissioners Jerry Stone and Jim Vaughn indicated the schools would need to rely on "other" sources of revenue -- because no taxes would be increased.

The School system then considered outsourcing of custodial staff. And rejected due to safety and management concerns, a small initial savings, and no promise of sustained savings to the district.

In early June, the School Board reviewed an initial budget proposal -- showing a $7 million shortfall.

An initial rhetorical standoff led to discussion of cuts.

The Board then passed, earlier than ever, its budget -- with a $7 million shortfall (on June 19) asking the County Commission to fully fund it. Then, the County Commission suggested that the Board deny raises to employees for the 5th year in a row.

On July 10, the County Commission's Budget Committee denied the School Board's budget request.

Then, the County Commission passed a General Budget that meant the schools would be forced to cut $7.6 million from their initial proposal -- BEFORE the Board had considered any options.

Then, early August saw the School Board take a stand -- demanding their budget be fully-funded.  And if not, school would be out ... indefinitely.

The County Commission was not amused.

Then, more gimmicks and trickery from the Commission.

Finally, after the Board lost the standoff, made some cuts, and deferred some capital needs, school started.  And the County Commission put another Wheel Tax on the ballot.  It failed, of course, but got twice as much support (by percentages) as the March edition had. 

And now, we're in 2013.  Commission leaders are again promising no new revenue for schools.  The School System needs state-required technology upgrades and new teachers to keep up with growth.  Plus, there are employees who haven't had a raise in 6 years now.  Basic school functions (copy machines, supplies, even some teacher salaries) remain paid by parents and PTOs through fees and fundraisers.

Will the School Board pass an excellence-based budget?  And is there any chance the Commission would fund such a measure?

Stay tuned.  Summer's just getting started.

Under-funded Schools Place Burden of Basics on Parents

Without millions in school fees and millions more in PTO fundraisers, the Sumner County Schools simply could not operate.  That's the finding from a review of monies collected through school fees and an analysis of PTO expenditures across Sumner County.

Focusing on the fees, which total $1.8 million a year, the Star News and reporter Jennifer Easton talked with parents, principals, board members, and the Director of Schools. 

The bottom line:  Parents pay fees that end up covering basic costs -- like supplies for class, workbooks, computers, and even the salaries of some teachers. 

If you take into account the contributions from PTOs, it appears that parents are contributing 15-20% above the total dollars allocated to schools by the County Commission.  And that's just to operate the current program, which many consider inadequate in terms of technology, school safety, and salaries for teachers and staff. 

The School Board meets in Special Session on May 14th to discuss the 2013-14 budget.  That will start a process that will likely end with fighting in the County Commission.  It's not clear whether the Board will submit an excellence-based budget that will reduce or eliminate fees, fund technology, raise teacher pay, and move toward eliminating unsafe portable classrooms.  Even if they did, it seems an anti-school majority on the County Commission, led by Kirk Moser, Jerry Stone, Jim Vaughn, and Merrol Hyde will continue to block improved funding for schools. 

If baseball's not enough summer entertainment for you, turn to the School Board and County Commission meetings - they should be full of fireworks and ultimately, disappointment.

Mike Towle: Raging Liberal?

Well, that's the word from County Commissioner Jerry Stone.

Towle writes all about how Stone wrote a letter calling Towle a liberal.

Towle felt so offended he was compelled to defend himself.

Anyone who has read Mike's writing in praise of Debra Maggart, for example, knows he's no liberal.

Moreover, this type of name-calling by Stone hints at a certain level of desperation.

Conservatives and Liberals in Sumner County both support excellent public schools.  A solid majority of the community has repeatedly attended County Commission meetings, made phone calls, and sent emails. 

None of this has swayed Stone and his buddies who have consistently opposed school funding.  So, now they are resorting to name-calling.  They attempt to divide and drive wedges rather than respond to the will of the people. 

Perhaps they hope the distraction about left vs. right will take away focus from what's been going wrong: The School Board and Commission can't get together and agree on what's best for schools.  Our children and our entire community are held hostage while adults fight to gain the political upper hand. 

And now, schoolyard name-calling has entered the mix.  That means there's not much hope for the coming budget cycle. 

How much more needs to be said about our community's desire for excellent schools? About the desire on the part of many to pay just a little bit more in order to have a school system that lives up to its potential for greatness?

Would Stone not be better served by presenting a reasonable budget alternative that helps move our schools (and community) forward?

Elections are coming in 2014.  And the budget battle this year has the potential to make Stone and others look bad -- unless they do what they need to do to set our schools on a path toward excellence.

So, expect more name-calling and desperation.   

Budget Committee Meets Tonight

The Budget Committee of the Sumner County Commission will meet tonight at 5:30 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

The agenda is exclusively focused on the 2013-14 budgets to be considered by the County Commission, including possible votes on the budgets for next year and a discussion and possible votes on financing for the budgets. 

Not on the calendar explicitly (but sure to be discussed) is the schools budget.  In the past, the Budget Committee has proposed a tax rate at meetings like this and then passed all the County Budgets except for the Schools Budget.  Effectively, this sets the amount of money available for schools for the upcoming budget year.

Of course, this happens BEFORE the School Board has finalized its budget -- which is slated to happen in May this year, earlier than ever before.  If County Commissioners were to attend the School Board budget meetings and wait to set a tax rate or budget until AFTER the Schools Budget is discussed, some of the tension between the two bodies might be resolved.

The Budget Committee is chaired by long-time opponent of school funding Jerry Stone, who once compared supporters of schools to Kool-Aid drinkers with no grip on reality (A reference, no doubt, to the Jim Jones debacle). 

Tune in tonight to see if your County Commission continues to egg on the fight with the School Board or if reason prevails and the Commission waits to hear from the School Board before setting the final budget numbers.  And by waiting, were talking about 20 days or so -- still plenty of time to get everything hashed out in June and the budget set before July 1st.  Readers may recall that it was nearly October last year before the school system had a final budget. 

Towle Takes On Hyde Regime

Star News General Manager Mike Towle is taking on Merrol Hyde and his band of cronies on the County Commission.  This time, it's over convenience voting.

Towle's point in several recent columns seems to be that a relatively small group (Hyde, Jerry Stone, Jim Vaughn, Kirk Moser) essentially control all of Sumner County politics and policy.  Readers may recall that Hyde was once BOTH Director of Schools and Chair of the County's Education Committee.  This meant he proposed the school system's budget to the Education Committee he Chaired (which passed it, of course) and then presented that budget to the Commission as Director of Schools and then recommended that budget to the Commission as Education Committee Chair.

Readers might also recall that the last property tax increase in the County (2002) occurred when the Director of Schools submitted a budget that required additional funds -- the Director of Schools then was none other than Merrol Hyde, who convinced his friends on the Commission to raise the taxes needed to fund his otherwise out of balance budget. 

Fast forward to 2011 and 2012, when the Director of Schools (not from Sumner County, not even from Tennessee) proposed budgets that needed additional revenue.  Then, Hyde, Stone, Vaughn, and Moser led a group on the Commission to lock down against any new revenue for schools. 

It seems Mike Towle might just be on to something. 

Convenience voting or no, there IS an election in 2014.

County Commission Meets Tonight

The County Commission meets tonight at 7 PM at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.  Among the agenda items? Formally expressing opposition to convenience voting.

Jerry Stone vs. Logic and Common Sense

Well, Jerry Stone is at it again.  Taking on common sense in a desperate attempt to hold on to the County Commission seat he holds so dear. But, this time, it's Hendersonville Alderman Scott Sprouse taking Stone on -- and not letting him get away with bizarre and just plain dumb arguments.

It's all about the controversy over convenience voting in Sumner County.

Now, here's Sprouse calling out Stone in a strong way:

BLOCK THE VOTE UPDATE: Commissioner Stone Strikes Back
Last week Sumner County Commissioner Jerry Stone fought the opportunity to promote democracy and save taxpayers more than $125,000 every election year. He made his reason very clear: his personal need for last minute politicking outweighs his support of the public good.
Commissioner Stone must be feeling the heat for being selfish enough to think such a thing but honest enough to say it. Now he is backpedaling with a bizarre explanation.
Stone wrote: "The proposal furthers the goal of those who favor moving control from local elected officials to regional centers controlled by a...ppointed bureaucrats. I will always oppose proposals to move toward centralized decision making and away from local elected officials."

Stone did a great job of using Tea Party buzzwords, but the comment is just plain dumb. Nothing in the proposal would change who manages Sumner County elections. The proposed voting centers would be managed by the same local election officials who manage the current polling places.
What's really sad is Commissioner Stone's desperate swings at those who support the proposal. When he reads that many Strong Schools founders and members support the proposal, he dismisses us as a "special interest group". (Duh! Education is a durn good special interest.) When he reads a local elected official supports the proposal, Commissioner Stone dismisses the opinion because the official "was funded by the biggest Obama bundler in the state." (Is he talking about me because our highly respected neighbor Charles Bone gave my non-partisan reelection campaign $200 or is he talking about Baker Ring or Zach Young? Either way, is that the best shot he can take?)
Maybe Commissioner Stone opposes "moving control from local elected officials" because he is afraid voters would move control from local elected officials like him.

Stone's comments reflect a degree of paranoia not normally seen in local elected officials.

Let's NOT make Voting TOO easy, Ok?

Remember just a few short weeks ago when it appeared Sumner County was on the verge of progress and convenience voting would be coming to elections?

Not so fast, say County Commissioners.

It seems the Commissioners, who voted in committee 7-1 to oppose the convenience voting centers, think campaigning only takes place on Election Day.  This despite the advent of early voting, which claims 50% or more of all voters in Sumner.  And which allows voters to vote at sites other than their designated precinct.

Perhaps fearing backlash from their persistent opposition to funding for schools, Commission Chair Merrol Hyde and Commissioners Jerry Stone and Kirk Moser all noted their opposition to making voting more convenient for Sumner County citizens.  Since low turnout typically favors incumbent politicians, it seems no surprise that these unpopular incumbents would oppose a measure that has the potential to increase turnout.

What's somewhat surprising, however, is the fact that convenience voting has the potential to save Sumner County $125,000 per election.  For a County Commission so concerned about money they wouldn't release funds to allow schools to buy textbooks, it seems shocking that they're willing to spend more money in order to preserve an antiquated voting process that depresses turnout.

Some Sumner County elected officials are speaking out, however.

Hendersonville Alderman Scott Sprouse said (via Facebook):

This is a shame. I'm for anything that makes it easier for people to vote. At least the county commissioners voting against this idea were forthright enough to admit they put their personal and purely political desire before the public good.
I'm someone who regularly spends 13+ hours standing in front of a polling place on Election Day. I enjoy seeing so many friends but I'd gladly give up the experience to make it easier for my neighbors to vote.
Sumner County voters, please remember what these commissioners said the next time you get up early or rush home from work to vote, stand in line for two hours, and later find out the wait ...at another polling place (one that you just passed) was only five minutes.

I just realized something. Fewer people vote in the county's May primaries and August general elections than in national and city elections. Maybe these commissioners realize that low voter turn out elected them and that greater voter participation, especially from working parents upset about school funding, may not reelect them.

Additionally, Goodlettsville City Commissioner Zach Young and Gallatin-area County Commissioner Baker Ring both spoke out in favor of convenience voting and against the Committee recommendation.



 

Fighting Over Books

It seems Hendersonville and Sumner County are in a fight of sorts over the Hendersonville Library.  Built with county, city, and private funds and maintained by the City, the library apparently (according to Jerry Stone) belongs to the county.  Perhaps he and Scott Foster can engage in an MMA match to determine the outcome?

School Safety Committee Recommends SROs

Last night, the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety met to discuss possible options for improving school safety in Sumner County Schools. 

The committee recommended adding 13 School Resource Officers (SROs) to the schools by spring of 2014 -- they can't be deployed earlier because the committee is reluctant to recommend using reserve funds to cover start-up costs and because the training takes 10 or more weeks from the date of hire.  The plan is a five year plan to deploy SROs at all schools in the district. 

The Committee heard information regarding a request for funds from the School Board to upgrade school buildings to provide additional security.  This would be a one-time cost to address needs identified during a currently on-going assessment of the system's schools. 

At one point during the meeting, Chair and County Commissioner Jim Vaughn said the committee couldn't act on concrete recommendations because none had been submitted by the School Board.  This in spite of a December letter from Dr. Del Phillips and County Executive Anthony Holt requesting one-time money to address school safety.  The amount of the request was $5 million. 

School Board Chair Ted Wise, present despite his recent resignation from the committee, read a letter from the School Board dated January 9th and addressed to County Executive Holt and County Commission Chair Hyde.  The letter requested immediate action on a proposal to provide an SRO in every school and allocate one-time money for building upgrades to enhance school safety. 

Following that January 9th request, Commissioners in a budget committee meeting requested that the issue be deferred until a committee chaired by Vaughn could further study the issue.  The Ad Hoc Committee was later appointed and Vaughn named the Chair. The first meeting was last night - a full 50 days following the Board's request and 70 days after Dr. Phillips and County Executive Holt asked the Commission to act. 

Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator Pat Conner asked that the Committee or County Commission give some budget guidance.  She said the assessment of facilities will show areas needing upgrade/improvement but the solutions will vary in cost.  She asked for $3 million to be allocated for school security upgrades.  The Committee indicated that no money was currently available (they won't spend reserves) and that until they saw clear recommendations, they didn't want to discuss funding. 

County Commissioner Frank Freels, present though not a committee member, spoke and suggested that Sumner County is being pushed into doing something and that counties as close by as Trousdale were doing nothing and that was just fine. 

Commissioner Jerry Stone noted that he was unsure where the money would come from -- and it is Stone who now chairs the County Commission Budget Committee. 

County Commissioner and former Hendersonville High School principal Paul Decker noted that the SRO program was excellent and he supported expanding it to more schools in Sumner County. 

School Board member and former Portland High principal Glen Gregory said that new graduates looking to enter the teaching field will look for schools that are safe.

Danny Hurst, who manages the SRO program, noted that safe schools are key to economic development.  He noted that families moving to middle Tennessee will look for school systems with solid school safety plans. 

The Committee's next meeting will be on March 28th -- A Thursday during the week of the school system's Spring Break and just before Good Friday.

Battle Lines Being Drawn

In a continuation of the seemingly never-ending saga that is the relationship between the Sumner County Commission and Sumner County School Board, the Commission's Budget Committee recently moved to slow funding for capital projects in order to address near-term deficits. 

Of course, funding for school projects was delayed this past year as capital funds were shifted to the general operating fund in order to ease the budget impasse that caused a delay in the start of the 2012-13 school year. 

With Commissioners such as Jerry Stone and Jim Vaughn continuing to put road blocks in the way of fully-funded schools, it seems another tense budget battle is already brewing.  The Commission has yet to address the school safety request from the School Board (though a preliminary meeting is scheduled for Thursday) and the system needs about $7 million worth of computers for the new standardized tests tied to the Common Core State Standards. 

The School Board has already approved offering a retirement incentive again this year as a way to encourage more senior teachers to leave -- saving money by hiring newer teachers at lower salaries and hopefully avoiding layoffs. 

However, with computers to buy and reserves spent to the maximum last year, it seems likely that absent additional funds from the County Commission, some teachers and staff will lose their jobs.