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. 

Jim Vaughn's Not So Secret Meeting

In spite of his attempts to keep his committee's business from public view, it appears the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety, Chaired by County Commissioner Jim Vaughn, will hold its meetings in public.

Despite swift action on school safety in surrounding communities and a clear and direct proposal from the School Board that has been available for more than a month now, the County Commission has yet to approved funding for any new school safety procedures or facilities upgrades.  The first meeting of the Commission's Committee will be on February 28th -- 3 days after the County Commission meets on Monday.  So, it seems it will be March or later before the Commission decides if it will step up and fund recommended safety improvements in local schools.

Shhh! Jim Vaughn's Got a Secret!

That's right.  County Commissioner Jim Vaughn wants the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety to meet in secret.  To devise recommendations in secret.  And possibly to make recommendations to the County Commission that are shrouded in secrecy. 

The problem is:  State law requires the public's business to be conducted in public.  In open meetings.  Here's another challenge:  The County Commission can meet and talk about school safety all day every day -- but the School Board sets policy for what goes on in schools.  The only role for the County Commission is if/when funding is required -- the Commission can fund or not fund the Board's requests. 

So, this supposedly secret information would have no force or effect at all unless the secrets discussed in the secret committee are shared -- publicly -- with the School Board. 

Of course, the School Board has already made recommendations on school safety to the County Commission.  And the Commission has so far NOT taken those recommendations up and is not scheduled to take them up at its February 25th meeting. 

In fact, it seems the County Commission is poised to do little in terms of school safety until Jim Vaughn's committee gets permission to conduct business in secret.  Then, of course, we won't know what they're doing because it will happen behind closed doors.