The Will of the People?

Just to be sure I understood what JISD Board of Trustees SHOULD do, I went to www.judsonisd.org & found this information:

• What We Do - Your Board is responsible for approving personnel actions, expenditures, property acquisitions and sales, school elections, and legal transactions. The Board's sphere of authority encompasses construction and maintenance authorizations, budget approval, bond elections and sales, tax rates, and the taking of bids on materials, equipment, property, insurance and other items.
• By the People and Of the People - Your Board of Trustees has complete and final authority over the Judson Independent School District. Its only limitations are those imposed by the State of Texas, the federal government, and the will of the citizens of the school district. This will of the people is exercised at the polls and Election Day each year.

The Board is responsible for “expenditures, property acquisitions…construction and maintenance authorizations, budget approval, bond elections…bids on…”

Can anyone disagree the board has failed the voters of JISD? Probably no one except those deep inside the controlling faction will ever know what happened behind closed doors, but we got a clue last night at the “Meet the Candidates” meeting held at Converse City Hall. Sitting board president Rick Maas made it clear that he feared media scrutiny of board activities. He said the board functioned behind the scenes. Obviously, he is saying that decisions about the contracting & overspending of bond funds happened behind closed doors; that those of us protesting should “just butt out”. So much for "the will of the people".

As board president, Mr. Maas was seemingly able, with the willing collusion of three other board members in his faction, and at least one JISD administrator, to overspend bond monies, and shut down discussion or investigation, despite his obligation to the voters of the district. Surely there is something illegal here. If not, then Mr. Maas has only blatantly & arrogantly forced his own will on board activities, showing him unfit to serve as Trustee in Judson Independent School District.

Incumbent Johnny Harris spoke to these same issues. He pointed out contracts were rushed through without time to study them. He pointed out that our board of trustees received wrong information from JISD administration. He pointed to specific instances of misuse of funds & property. Mr. Harris has been outspoken in his distrust of JISD administration. He has repeatedly called for investigation, but been blocked by Mr. Maas & his willing cohort. We need to keep Mr. Harris’ voice on JISD Board of Trustees. He should be re-elected.

Mr. Wayne Harper spoke eloquently about JISD matters. He seems to know how to bring accountability to the board of trustees.

I will be voting for Mr. Harper & Mr. Harris early next Monday, April 28, the first day of early voting in our district.

Do Other Districts Know Something JISD Does Not?

Nearby districts are building schools and/or proposing bonds. Comal ISD is an interesting case for comparison with JISD. The bond information is on Comal ISD website and shows that in 2005 they proposed 6 new elementary schools. They provided, however, 8 new elementary schools with the same money. Check their website for a school opening this fall, Timberwood Elementary. This school is made for 825 students and was built for less than $12 million. The cost per square foot is $141.
JISD is building Converse Elementary for 750 students at a cost of at least $26 million. The cost per square foot is at least (they are not done yet) $257.
The Converse Elementary boondoggle is sucking up money meant for two other elementary schools. So JISD now plans to “re-size” the two schools yet to be built. Two schools meant to accommodate only 450 students, each estimated to cost as much as $18 million. Is there a next phase planned? Will the core facilities be built for 450 students each or will the core support 650 students with the option to add classroom space later? Is there any plan at all?
JISD must pause the building of these remaining 2 elementary schools until they can be redesigned to accommodate the proposed number of students & remain within the budget. Other school districts are doing so. JISD can do so; it remains to be seen if they will do so.

It Depends on What the Word “Budget” Means

Tuesday, the 8th of April ’08, JISD declared all the 2006 bond projects “on time & in budget”.
JISD is telling the voters that they are in budget if they give us three schools for less than $60 million. They evidently think the voters will not notice the two schools that are less than the size & capacity voters approved.
ISD should pause further development on schools 2 & 3, until they can redesign a less expensive school that will have the size & capacity promised to the voters. Schools built within the amount allocated in Proposition 1. It can be done. It should be done.
If “budget” means giving the students three schools, without regard to size, then they are within budget. However, if “budget” means splitting the money equally to provide three equal schools, as the proposition suggests, then they are disastrously over budget!
read expanded version of this article at: http://c-n-red.com/BudgetMeans.html

JISD Provides No Answers

The board meeting held the evening of Thursday 4 April 2008 was another example of petty wrangling & power politics. When the agenda item about the administrative investigation into the handling of the 2006 bond funds came up, (this, by the way, is an investigation where the investigated & the investigators are the same. How much fault do you think they found?) the power players on the board found a way to block public release of the study & shut down dissenting minority discussion. The machine wins again.

DA Still Not Convinced to Investigate JISD

Late in the day, Thursday 4 April 2008, the Bexar County District Attorney still declined initiating, at this time, an investigation into JISD’s handling of 2006 bond funds. They were unimpressed with over 500 signatures to the petition (gathered in less than 4 days), & said there was not enough evidence of criminal activity to warrant an investigation. They suggested we hire an attorney & pursue action in civil court. We are seeking counsel for civil action. What do you suggest we do next?

“how did we get to this point?”

As one reads the articles linked to in www.c-n-red.com one can not help but wonder, “how did we get to this point?” Was it just a series of unfortunate circumstances? Or is it a case of a few individuals steering projects in the direction they desire?
The Judson School District has not had stable leadership at the Superintendent position since Dr. Elolf retired in the late 1990’s. Even his retirement was clouded with uncertainty; we, for a short time, had two Superintendents in one job. When Dr Lyman was forced out by the Board last summer a deep split on the Board became very obvious. There appeared to be a faction of 3 Board members who supported one of the two associate Superintendents and a faction of 3 who supported the other. The Board President refused to be the deciding vote and abstained from voting. Therefore we operated, from the end of July 2007 until December 2007 (when Dr. Mackey came on board), without even an Interim Superintendent.
Three Board members who repeatedly spoke out about District over-spending were lead by Diane Gonzales-Bagley, supported by Johnny Harris and June Adair. Mr. Harris attempted to temper his votes with caution for exceeding budget limitations, and not halting projects like the Stadium, which when the out-of-budget conditions became known, were advanced to the point that additional costs could be incurred if construction were delayed. Mr. Harris sent a request to the Board Leadership for investigation of the circumstances surrounding the over-budget stadium project a couple days after it was announced at the 21 Feb 2007 meeting. He asked that this item be placed on the board agenda for the next month. This did not happen in March nor does the item appear on the agenda for the 3 April meeting.
The issue of JISD over-spending bond funds can only be put to rest if a majority of Judson Independent School Board insists on having JISD management of contracts investigated and discussed in an open board meeting. District taxpayers deserve to know that every effort is being made to correct any mistakes; that JISD is taking action to insure such mismanagement not happen again.

I am tried of being called Apathetic!

For years I have heard from our Judson ISD community that they are tried of the way things are done with our schools but things will not change. School Board members and administration have called our community APATHETIC long enough. The time for change is now. We have been told that Judson is just about football. Not true! Every year we have a multitude of students advancing to major D-1 universities throughout the country. Yes, football does get the largest amount of attention due to media coverage. When is the last time you saw our National Merit Scholar Finalists interviewed for their PSAT scores? Football is promoted due to our society’s passion for sports. This is validated by the outrageous salaries paid to professional athletes in this day and age. Wagner High School has in just two years of varsity competition, have already risen to the top as a major threat in a multitude of sports.
Now let's speak to academics. In order to fix things in the classroom we must fix things at the top. Having a School Board that has meetings that only show concern for their personal agendas and seem rarely concerned for the academics of our students. We have two school board members with graduate degrees, one with an associates degree and currently attending college pursuing a bachelors degree, one with a GED, two with little or no college and one that we really we don’t know but, did claim to be an accountant when first elected. How can a board that decides our children’s education have less education that we desire our children to receive excluding the board members that did pursue higher education.
Now about our Superintendent: we ought to give them more than a one year contract with a one way bus ticket out of town. We have had more superintendents than Judson State Championships. We can’t blame them due to that fact as soon as they might do something the School Board chases them off.
It is time that we stand for ourselves and say enough! I will not be bullied, lied to, abused and let you call me APATHETIC. These are my tax dollars and children. This Bond of 2006 is that last straw. If you are a district employee you are my employee because it is my money that pays you. I am the major influence in my child’s life and schools can’t dictate who my child is. There are many problems with our district and education process. I asked myself where to start and it is what that biggest problem is now. The current abuses with the 2006 Bond. We can stand up right now against any further expenditure with our Bond money. We can vote for the right candidates and oust the wrong candidates in the May Elections for School Board. I don’t want my children to grow up and say my Dad was Coward or Apathetic.
Do YOU?.