COLUMN: Can BOE just say ‘No!’
They’re kidding, right? The Jackson County Board of Education is seriously considering letting contracts to build a $10.6 million project at Jackson County Comprehensive High School that would include a new double-decker gym and a chorus/drama building?
This BOE doesn’t get out much, do they? They’re certainly not listening to the news where the nation is in the midst of the largest backlash against the growth in government it has seen in decades. They call it the Tea Party.
Maybe the Jackson BOE wasn’t invited.
On a smaller scale, what this board is considering is no different than what has been happening at the state and national levels. While the public is fed up with the growth in government, public officials are tone deaf and determined to continue spending tax money for pet projects.
And make no mistake, this BOE venture is a pet project. It was a political promise to the patrons of JCCHS after the system built the massive and horribly expensive East Jackson Comprehensive High School. JCCHS patrons complained about the state of their kids’ school facilities and as part of the deal, these facilities were promised.
But there is no mandate that these facilities be built. They are “extras,” nice to have if you can afford them.
But the Jackson BOE can’t. Yes, the construction cost is being paid for by ESPLOST funds that voters approved earlier. Yes, this project isn’t something new and has been discussed for a while.
That doesn’t make it viable, or smart, or necessary.
Why?
The project is being pressed by a construction firm with a vested interest. The firm says “now is the time to build.” But have you ever known a developer or real estate interest that didn’t ALWAYS say the same thing?
It doesn’t really matter if the cost is better now or not; the school system can’t afford the additional overhead of new facilities. The system is already among the state’s highest per student overhead costs because of its massive building over the last decade.
The reason the system can’t afford the additional overhead is that it’s just now coming out of a major financial downturn where it finished a year in the red. High administrative costs on top of high overhead costs is killing the system’s finances. School leaders simply can’t be trusted to manage money very well and until they prove that they can, the system shouldn’t take on any additional costs.
I’m sure the boosters of these projects see things differently.
But I’m also sure that many of those same boosters are also out complaining about the exploding cost of government, the national debt crisis and high taxes. Some may even support the Tea Party.
But getting control of government overspending starts at home with our local governments. You can’t complain about Washington while you also lay the fat on in your own local governments.
This project can wait. There’s no rush. Children won’t starve. The world won’t end. The school won’t disappear.
Does this BOE have the courage to — for once — “Just Say No?”
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
Maybe the Jackson BOE wasn’t invited.
On a smaller scale, what this board is considering is no different than what has been happening at the state and national levels. While the public is fed up with the growth in government, public officials are tone deaf and determined to continue spending tax money for pet projects.
And make no mistake, this BOE venture is a pet project. It was a political promise to the patrons of JCCHS after the system built the massive and horribly expensive East Jackson Comprehensive High School. JCCHS patrons complained about the state of their kids’ school facilities and as part of the deal, these facilities were promised.
But there is no mandate that these facilities be built. They are “extras,” nice to have if you can afford them.
But the Jackson BOE can’t. Yes, the construction cost is being paid for by ESPLOST funds that voters approved earlier. Yes, this project isn’t something new and has been discussed for a while.
That doesn’t make it viable, or smart, or necessary.
Why?
The project is being pressed by a construction firm with a vested interest. The firm says “now is the time to build.” But have you ever known a developer or real estate interest that didn’t ALWAYS say the same thing?
It doesn’t really matter if the cost is better now or not; the school system can’t afford the additional overhead of new facilities. The system is already among the state’s highest per student overhead costs because of its massive building over the last decade.
The reason the system can’t afford the additional overhead is that it’s just now coming out of a major financial downturn where it finished a year in the red. High administrative costs on top of high overhead costs is killing the system’s finances. School leaders simply can’t be trusted to manage money very well and until they prove that they can, the system shouldn’t take on any additional costs.
I’m sure the boosters of these projects see things differently.
But I’m also sure that many of those same boosters are also out complaining about the exploding cost of government, the national debt crisis and high taxes. Some may even support the Tea Party.
But getting control of government overspending starts at home with our local governments. You can’t complain about Washington while you also lay the fat on in your own local governments.
This project can wait. There’s no rush. Children won’t starve. The world won’t end. The school won’t disappear.
Does this BOE have the courage to — for once — “Just Say No?”
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
"The board didn't vote to do anything and the issue is likly to come up again in the near future." Report on the board not doing anything don't reprint the same stuff week after week. I get tired of reading about how bad the world is and how wrong everyone except MIKE BUFFINGTON is.