STATE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CONDEMNS BOE BUS MAINTENANCE DEAL PDF Print E-mail
STATE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CONDEMNS BOE BUS MAINTENANCE DEAL
ENQUIRER
Hold local school board members accountable
Posted by LettersEditor at 4/20/2009 2:58 PM EDT

The economic climate has caused many households to evaluate how they prioritize their spending and many have cut non-essentials, such as dining out and entertainment. Even if your job is secure, the economic headlines and gloomy forecast have influenced spending habits.

As an elected official serving four counties on the State Board of Education (Butler, Montgomery, Miami, Darke), I spend a lot of time listening to the concerns of local taxpayers and district administrators about the economy and school funding.

I attend the state budget hearings (for fiscal years 2010-2011) that are going on in Columbus, specifically the K-12 education budget and how it will affect our local districts. I was surprised and disappointed to read that the Fairfield City Board of Education voted to approve a1.5 million/3-year contract for bus maintenance without seeking competitive bids. Apparently board members said competitive bidding is not required by law, but their own board policy (DJ) declares that they (the board) will purchase competitively without prejudice to see maximum education value for every dollar expended. Ohio is a local control state.

When the state gives the Fairfield City School District money the local school board is responsible for the budget and spending. We hope that the local school boards are fiscally conservative and truly seek to spend the money wisely. Unfortunately some bad habits are hard to break. Traditions and cronyism do not align with fiscal accountability and transparency.

I commend Fairfield City School board member Arnold Engle for his persistence and willingness to go against the system in asking for competitive bids on the $1.5 million bus maintenance contract. All public school funds originate from the taxpayers of Ohio, either in local property taxes or state taxes and fees.

There is no magic money tree in Columbus. We must make a decision to either hold our local school board members accountable for their spending or move away from local control. We should demand that local school board members ensure continuous oversight of the district budget, acknowledge the public trust given to them, purchase the best value obtainable, give qualified vendors equal opportunity, respect differences of opinions, and remember that everything they do reflects on the entire education profession and they should govern their actions accordingly.

Fairfield City School District policy Fiscal Management - DJ states: The Board declares its intention to purchase competitively without prejudice and to seek maximum educational value for every dollar expended. Policy Fiscal Management DJF states: Purchasing procedures will be designed to ensure the best possible price for the desired products and services. Procedures for purchasing will be developed to require that all purchases are made on properly approved purchase orders and that, for items not put up for bid, price quotations will be solicited. Source: http://www.fairfieldcityschools.com/forms/schoolboard/sectionD/DJ-Purchasing.pdf

Susan M. Haverkos
Member
State Board of Education District 37356
West Chester
 
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