Archive: Opinions

Guest EditorialI understand the cultural taboo against airing dirty laundry in public. I also understand that sometimes there is a need for intervention to heal and empower hurting families: someone has to stand up and acknowledge the "elephant in the living room." I believe that the Lansing Central School District is a hurting family, and it is time to talk about our elephant.

If you have read a local newspaper or listened to a local radio station, you know that it is projected that the District will significantly overspend its 2007-08 budget before the school/fiscal year is out. We are shocked and appalled that such a thing could happen! The next part of the story tells us that the amount overspent this year will have to be rolled into next year's budget, putting us behind the proverbial eight-ball before we even begin to look at a budget for 2008-09.

It has been implied that we are in this predicament solely as a result of mismanagement and poor budget planning on the part of our most recent former administrators. It seems that we are supposed to believe that we were somehow hoodwinked by them into acceptance of the current budget, within which was hidden the malicious intent to use the last of the District's reserve funds to balance a budget that was inadequate to begin with. In fact, at a recent public meeting, attendees appeared to be astonished that the reserve had been dipped into and I overheard someone say "No wonder they hightailed it out of town!" in reference, I presume, to Dr. Lewis and Mr. Lawrence.

There was no coup involved; our most recent former administrators did not sneak into town under the cover of darkness and take over our school district! Rather, they were selected during a process that included representatives of all stakeholder groups in the district. They were chosen on the basis of their professional qualifications and experiences, and after an extensive interviewing process. Frankly, I am tired of hearing accusations that imply that Dr. Lewis somehow came here against the will of the community and imposed an evil dictatorship.

Before we throw more stones, there are a few things that this community needs to remember. First, the ownership of and responsibility for the school budget and district spending lies with the school board, not the Superintendent or the business manager. Administrators typically work together to craft a budget that is then adopted by the school board and put forth to the district voters.

That would be the second issue. Voters approved this budget during the second budget vote last year. As has happened in at least the past three budget planning cycles since I have lived in Lansing, the use of reserve funds to balance a "wish-list budget" was incorporated into the current year's budget proposal. This wish-list has not originated with administrators, but with parents and faculty who fear that our children will be less successful in life if we do not give them everything. Their protests always include catch phrases that tell us how much they care about the children.

But we have come to the end of the ride. Reserve funds are gone. Assessments are up. Most people in our community are working harder than ever to make ends meet. We can no longer have everything that we want: district spending must be reduced. If we truly care about the children in our school district, then we have to care about them after the school day ends, too. Class size, field trips, and extracurricular opportunities will mean nothing to the child whose family has to cut back on the grocery budget in order to pay their school taxes.

Don't misunderstand - I am not trying to lay blame. In fact, my intention is just the opposite. I do not believe that it is right to blame those who are not responsible for this particular predicament. We must accept responsibility and accountability for the financial state of our school district. The school board presented this budget to the public and the majority of voters approved it.

Right now, the best gift that we can give to our children is to set an example of accountability and fiscal responsibility. Don't we want our children to learn the importance of being accountable for one's actions, admitting when a decision has not resulted in the anticipated outcome, and changing course to make it right? I believe these are skills that we value and want our children to learn. However, we must do this from a united front. Our children trust us.

The next several years will be difficult ones in the Lansing Central School District. Tough decisions have to be made. Our children deserve the finest education that we can give them, but we cannot tax families out of their homes. It will be a difficult road. But if we believe that we will be okay and work together to achieve goals that, while difficult, are the best decisions for the greatest number of people, our children will be okay. And they will learn from us the true meaning of community and responsibility. It does "take a village......."

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