The Knox County School Board is utilizing some media friendly alleys to help advance their multi million increase for next years school budget. Last week it was Cumulus owned NewsTalk 98.7 FM and their morning show Hallerin Hilton Hill. Each morning, Hill had Dr. Jim McIntyre and individuals with the school district on air to discuss "future factories" aka public schools. One of the criticisms I heard yesterday is that Hill has at times had his children in private schools. He reportedly has a commercial discussing the benefits of the school his daughter attends.
Yesterday, E.W. Scripps Publisher of the weekly Shopper News Sandra Clark and the Managing Editor Jake Mabe appeared during public forum to ask the County Commission to support the Knox County School Boards budget request. Clark handed out some feathers. This had some symbolism to her column last week about leaders needing to lead and something about chickens needing to roost or something.
10 comments:
Did you see Dr. Briggs say the school board wants $175 million dollars over five years and Dr. McIntyre said nothing?
How did that not get reported by Donila?
Either the number is $35 million or it isn't. And if Dr. Briggs is correct, the people have been mislead.
Does anyone actually know how much the school board is demanding?
They are asking for 7M above the "baseline" each year for the next 5 years. It becomes cumulative because the previous year's 7M becomes part of the current year's baseline. Therefore, the "new" amount is 7M in year 1, 14M in year 2, until it is 35M in year 5 - totaling 105M for the 5 years. Every year after that, it is $35M higher than the current baseline.
McIntyre knows exactly what he is doing. Will the Commission?
"They are asking for 7M above the "baseline" each year for the next 5 years. It becomes cumulative because the previous year's 7M becomes part of the current year's baseline. Therefore, the "new" amount is 7M in year 1, 14M in year 2, until it is 35M in year 5 - totaling 105M for the 5 years. Every year after that, it is $35M higher than the current baseline."
That isn't what the News Sentinel is reporting.
How is this happening? This is fraud.
McIntyre is also planning to threaten teacher cuts if he doesn't get his budget.
But if he gets his baseline, as many have said they will support, how can he cut teachers now working?
Unless he plans to spend the baseline on his new pet projects and ignore the will of the people.
No, that's not it.
Here's the deal and I'll try to make it as simple as possible because McIntyre has made it very confusing.
First, for argument's sake, let's pretend there is no natural growth for next year or the each of the next five.
For next year, the plan calls for an additional $35 million. (Not, $7 million, not $14 million but $35 million).
OK, with that said, once the school system gets that $35 million, they have to continue getting at least that amount. So, Briggs was correct: McIntyre is asking for $175 million over the next five years.
No one missed anything. It's always been reported. The reason there is this fascination with "five years" is because the superintendent will not spend the $35 million in the same way, each year. He's plans to divvy it up in various issues/topics/whatever. Some of it for capital, some of it for maintenance, some of it for jobs, whatever.
BUT, by the end of that five-year term, it will all be going toward operations.
It's actually pretty amazing to me what a poor job the school system has done in describing this plan, particularly since it pays it's communications department (combined employees) more than $450,000 a year.
If he had just said "I want $35 million more starting next year" it would have been a lot easier.
Hope this helps.
"If he had just said "I want $35 million more starting next year" it would have been a lot easier."
But it's been reported as $35 million over the next 5 years, when according to you, it should be reported as "$35 million more EACH YEAR over the next 5 years."
Correct?
"McIntyre has made it very confusing."
Purposefully.
He was budget director for 7 years for Boston Public Schools.
He knows what he's doing.
Mr. Donila,
There have been problems with the coverage from the Sentinel. I agree those problems are caused by Dr. McIntyre and his style of discommunication.
Please read:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/mar/30/mcintyre-makes-school-budget-pitch-to-community/
"Knox County Superintendent Jim McIntyre said Thursday that his proposed plan to raise the district's budget by $35 million over the next five years is similar to asking your boss for a raise."
That gives the impression it is $35 million over five years. A single $35 million. Not $175 million.
Could the Sentinel just report what Dr. Briggs said and soon? We have people calling Commissioners telling them how great this is not understanding how much money is involved.
Dr. McIntyre has either purposely or accidentally confused people as to the cost of this. Regular people have no idea of the actual cost.
All---Here is the real story---Knox Schools want $35M new dollars above natural growth dollars...However State Law has something called "maintenance of effort" which simply stated means you CANNOT cut a School System actual funding level from one year to the next.So $35M new dollars this year means $35m more next year andthe years after etc. So suppose the County Commission decides to appropriate only $20million new dollars...next year that funding level is the new baseline...it cannot be decreased..only increased or maintained as future years funding level!
yes, keeping them honest is correct. (It's actually what I said, too, but he/she did it more eloquently.)
the story people keep referring to about that says $35 million over the next five years is wrong and should have ran with a correction. we've written plenty of stories and gotten it correct. unfortunately, the one where we got it wrong is the one most often quoted.
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