July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Skeptical about project (12/14/04)
Editor's Mailbag
By To the editor:-
On Nov. 22, I and approximately 15 to 20 adults and 10 to 15 students attended the monthly meeting of the Jay School Board. The meeting started, with board president Doug Inman conducting the meeting. With usual business taken care of, they got to the part where the board discussed the proposed $26.6 million renovation of Jay County schools.
The proposals were read, such as a new heating system, because our 29-year-old heating system is only 50 percent efficient and there is a problem with too much humidity in the building at Jay County High School.
At this time superintendent Barbara Downing spoke up and said in and around the old duct work we also have a mold problem. In this case we do not need our students, teachers and support people in this type of environment. So I am in favor of looking into a new heating system, but not at an estimated cost of $8.55 million.
Mrs. Downing also talked on moving her office to Jay County High School, because the building that her office is in was in need of extensive repair and it would be cost-effective to renovate a new space at the high school. Cost: $450,000.
In the (project) package was such things as paving and making some school parking lots bigger. Cost: $180,000.
I am in favor of keeping up our schools, but most of the $26.6 million will go to a new pool ($4.6 million), and lockers and corridors. Cost: $1.1 million.
Which at this point Bryan Alexander says this is reasonable, because interest rates are cheap at this time. And don’t forget the gym. Cost: $3 million.
Mind you, the seven-member board and Mrs. Downing have a 500-page proposal package in front of them for the project which also mentions that some of the estimates for the project were as old as four years.
As the board started to discuss the project new member of four months Michael Masters discussed some reasons that this project was too large and expensive at this time, and thought it needed scaled back. Greg Wellman, also a new board member, was in agreement with Masters.
Dr. Frank Vormohr said at this time that the new board members had not been on the board long enough to know what was needed. Michael Shannon said we didn’t need a cathedral. We just want the best facility for our kids. Bryan Alexander said on visiting Jay County High School there was a lot of areas he came away ashamed of.
Doug Inman said he knew what was best for his district 5 people even if they didn’t agree with him, because he knew what was best and that was a yes vote.
The discussion was over and time to vote. At this time Wellman made a motion to table the project for three to four months to let the taxpayers have more time for their input. The motion was seconded by Masters. Voted down, 2-5. Next move a motion was made to take the next step with the project. Seconded and voted on 5-2. Accepted.
And just think, this whole thing will only cost the taxpayers a more 20 cents per $100 assessesed value of our real estate. I personally don’t think that the 20 cent increase will even come close to covering the $26.6 million project.
What part of all of this has to do with educating and preparing our young adult students for the real world? we need good employees to take our students to school, feed our students, clean and maintain what we have and teach our children in the classrooms. Is all of this just an ego trip for five board members and one superintendent? I can remember back three or four years ago attending a school board meeting and the topic of discussion was insurance, which was in the red and there was not enough money in the budget to give support people a raise they needed. Support wages were frozen.
Matter of fact at this time the whole budget was in the red and in a mess. Very little raises were given to support people since this time. On July 1, beginning pay for bus drivers: $11.10 per hour, with maximum time of four hours per scheduled route. Most are less. Top pay $440 per two weeks. Cost is $174.64 per pay for family plan A insurance. Annual cost of $3,480 per school year. Dental and/or vision costs extra. For most janitorial, cooks and other support people, starting pay is less. So at these wages who would even consider these jobs?
In the very near future, with the age of our support people, this school corporation is going to have a real problem attracting good people for these jobs. We have already lost a good number of good teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cooks and other support people.
This seven-member board and Downing need to sit back and take a good hard look at the quality of good people that work in the Jay Schools and try to help these employees and future employees with such things as wage increases and lowering insurance costs instead of sitting around in closed sessions spending four years and a bunch of money on a 500-page bible on a $26.6 million project that the taxpayers don’t need and would only benefit a small percentage of our students.
At this point we need to maintain, replace and repair things that are worn out and be thankful for the beautiful buildings and grounds that our children call Home of the Patriots.
Without a good quality workforce the Taj Mahal would not even help educate our kids. This is one of the biggest turning points in Jay County history. So be present at Jay County High School Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. to voice your opinion for or against the project.
A concerned taxpayer, small business owner and a proud lifetime resident of Jay County. Thanks so much.
David L. Frasher
Portland
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The proposals were read, such as a new heating system, because our 29-year-old heating system is only 50 percent efficient and there is a problem with too much humidity in the building at Jay County High School.
At this time superintendent Barbara Downing spoke up and said in and around the old duct work we also have a mold problem. In this case we do not need our students, teachers and support people in this type of environment. So I am in favor of looking into a new heating system, but not at an estimated cost of $8.55 million.
Mrs. Downing also talked on moving her office to Jay County High School, because the building that her office is in was in need of extensive repair and it would be cost-effective to renovate a new space at the high school. Cost: $450,000.
In the (project) package was such things as paving and making some school parking lots bigger. Cost: $180,000.
I am in favor of keeping up our schools, but most of the $26.6 million will go to a new pool ($4.6 million), and lockers and corridors. Cost: $1.1 million.
Which at this point Bryan Alexander says this is reasonable, because interest rates are cheap at this time. And don’t forget the gym. Cost: $3 million.
Mind you, the seven-member board and Mrs. Downing have a 500-page proposal package in front of them for the project which also mentions that some of the estimates for the project were as old as four years.
As the board started to discuss the project new member of four months Michael Masters discussed some reasons that this project was too large and expensive at this time, and thought it needed scaled back. Greg Wellman, also a new board member, was in agreement with Masters.
Dr. Frank Vormohr said at this time that the new board members had not been on the board long enough to know what was needed. Michael Shannon said we didn’t need a cathedral. We just want the best facility for our kids. Bryan Alexander said on visiting Jay County High School there was a lot of areas he came away ashamed of.
Doug Inman said he knew what was best for his district 5 people even if they didn’t agree with him, because he knew what was best and that was a yes vote.
The discussion was over and time to vote. At this time Wellman made a motion to table the project for three to four months to let the taxpayers have more time for their input. The motion was seconded by Masters. Voted down, 2-5. Next move a motion was made to take the next step with the project. Seconded and voted on 5-2. Accepted.
And just think, this whole thing will only cost the taxpayers a more 20 cents per $100 assessesed value of our real estate. I personally don’t think that the 20 cent increase will even come close to covering the $26.6 million project.
What part of all of this has to do with educating and preparing our young adult students for the real world? we need good employees to take our students to school, feed our students, clean and maintain what we have and teach our children in the classrooms. Is all of this just an ego trip for five board members and one superintendent? I can remember back three or four years ago attending a school board meeting and the topic of discussion was insurance, which was in the red and there was not enough money in the budget to give support people a raise they needed. Support wages were frozen.
Matter of fact at this time the whole budget was in the red and in a mess. Very little raises were given to support people since this time. On July 1, beginning pay for bus drivers: $11.10 per hour, with maximum time of four hours per scheduled route. Most are less. Top pay $440 per two weeks. Cost is $174.64 per pay for family plan A insurance. Annual cost of $3,480 per school year. Dental and/or vision costs extra. For most janitorial, cooks and other support people, starting pay is less. So at these wages who would even consider these jobs?
In the very near future, with the age of our support people, this school corporation is going to have a real problem attracting good people for these jobs. We have already lost a good number of good teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cooks and other support people.
This seven-member board and Downing need to sit back and take a good hard look at the quality of good people that work in the Jay Schools and try to help these employees and future employees with such things as wage increases and lowering insurance costs instead of sitting around in closed sessions spending four years and a bunch of money on a 500-page bible on a $26.6 million project that the taxpayers don’t need and would only benefit a small percentage of our students.
At this point we need to maintain, replace and repair things that are worn out and be thankful for the beautiful buildings and grounds that our children call Home of the Patriots.
Without a good quality workforce the Taj Mahal would not even help educate our kids. This is one of the biggest turning points in Jay County history. So be present at Jay County High School Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. to voice your opinion for or against the project.
A concerned taxpayer, small business owner and a proud lifetime resident of Jay County. Thanks so much.
David L. Frasher
Portland
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