Your Taxpayer’s Assn. is looking forward to a new era dealing with the incoming Martin County School Board and Superintendent. Unfortunately, recent actions by the existing Board and Administration are certainly giving us pause and deserve comment.
We have long pushed for televising School Board meetings so the public can easily see how their elected officials utilize their $300 million annual budget, administer hundreds of millions in assets and set policies. After years of stiff resistance the Board and Superintendent finally agreed last year that IF private donations cover the cost and the County agree to an interlocal agreement to carry delayed coverage on MCTV / Comcast channel 20. Apparently the private funds promised have been slow in arriving and the elections are now virtually over. Predictably, enthusiasm for the idea is drastically waning. Your Taxpayer’s Association has already donated $1,000 toward the estimated $7,000 first year cost and is prepared to donate/loan more if required. While we do not agree that this relatively minimal cost should be borne by private donation, we believe it is worth our investment to get this vital public service program off the ground.
We are also concerned over their actions in submitting/approving a three-year contract for the assistant superintendent to continue in his position. We have nothing against this individual and every reason to assume he is doing a fine job, but a one-year contract is the norm. . The new superintendent might well want him to continue. However, we firmly believe that a newly elected superintendent should have the leeway to select his/her own staff. The new superintendent should not have their hands tied on selection of their number two for ¾ of their elected term before even taking office. This is a slap in the face by the departing Superintendent and Board that would be considered unethical in private industry, or even most civil service scenarios.
School districts are not a business, but, if properly applied, business principles can make them more efficient and, in the long run, more successful. We have all heard the adage that government cannot run like a business, but those that manage the government — whether they are bureaucrats or elected leaders — should be willing to adopt successful business practices where applicable. District leaders must stretch every dollar as far as possible and be willing to adopt policies that may differ from custom.
America’s economy is based on the principle that competition will deliver the best product/service at least cost to achieve the greatest efficiency. In fact, businesses that do not innovate and compete for goods and services will eventually fail. Schools also need to harness the efficiency of competition. If they can deliver services such as janitorial, food service, and transportation at a lower cost, more dollars can go into the main focus - teaching. This should not be done simply for the sake of privatizing, but used where scarce dollars can be saved and used more effectively. It will require a lot of heavy lifting on the part of our new School Administration and Board and these efforts will probably meet stiff resistance from those that have a stake in maintaining public sector jobs. We may also see political fights — potentially ugly — over simply seeking competition for items such as which company provides health benefits. Such actions could be seen as an affront to unions since benefits and, incredibly, even which providers are chosen, are still negotiated at the bargaining table.
In summary, to achieve a fiscally healthy School District we believe the new Superintendent and Board should immediately focus on the following initiatives:
As always, we stand ready to help.