Conklin: Why the schools need your vote

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Over the last two weeks, I’ve read various editorials containing a number of statements that are not factual in regard to the upcoming referendum in June. First, let me share that the School Board and staff are trying very hard to get out and share the facts with constituents. I am holding an ongoing workshop at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday on the third floor of the Government Services Building to share information and gather input regarding questions on the referendum. I would encourage you to attend.

I believe it is critical for the public to know and understand the decisions the board had to make last year. We were faced with two concerning items in regard to our budget. We were facing the end of both the half-penny sales tax and the .25 mill. We made the decision to ask taxpayers to continue the sales tax. This 10-year investment would continue to prepare students for a time when digital textbooks are being mandated by Tallahassee, standardized testing will be computer-based and students require technology to be prepared for the 21st-century workforce.

The Flagler County School Board has been criticized for overstating our declining revenue. The simple fact is that our entire budget has decreased over the last six years by 33%. Our construction dollars have dramatically decreased, but we still have to pay off the debt for those projects as well as replace old roofs, air conditioning systems and so on. We may not be building schools, but we still have construction needs. However, since the most recent editorial writer was concerned about those numbers, I thought I’d share our general revenue expenditures. These are the dollars spent on operations directly impacting the classroom and our students. So again, in an effort to be as transparent as possible, here is the financial picture.

We have been cut by more than $12 million since 2007-08. At the same time, our student population was increasing steadily until this year. We’ve worked hard to manage these cuts while protecting the classroom. The list of cuts fills two pages. Some of the larger cuts were the elimination of jobs, reduced employee days, imposing the two-mile rule for busing of middle and high school students; we cut clubs, after-school activities, travel, field trips and so on.

I believe the most detrimental cut was the reduction of 45 minutes of instructional time in middle and high school. It was the largest cost-savings measure, making up $2.1 million of the $5 million we needed to cut. We were well aware that the .25 mill was sunsetting at the end of this year. We felt additional cuts and dipping into our fund balance would help us deal with the $1.6 million cut coming in June.

Several unknown events have occurred since that time. First, federal funding cuts of $1.5 million have hit all our federal programs. These cuts impact programs in special education, Title 1 — our most vulnerable students. We have never been fully funded for special education. This cut requires us to dig deeper into our general fund. Please keep in mind: We are still required by law to provide the same services regardless of the cut.

Second, we are experiencing a decline in student enrollment. The decline has been steady now for the last seven months. This is the first time this has happened in our district since I’ve been on the board (13 years). This is having a significant impact on our budget and was unforeseen. Many people think that because you don’t have the students, you don’t need the services. In a perfect world, the decline would be evident in classrooms at one grade level, in one school, on one bus, in one cafeteria — but we know it doesn’t happen like that.

The loss of students is spread across the entire K-12 system, across all grade levels and all schools. While this impacts revenue, it does not have an impact on expenditures. It doesn’t mean we don’t need those teachers, administrators, cafeteria staff, custodians or bus drivers. However, what it does mean is that we lose the dollars associated with those students. The current loss is more than $1 million, and we haven’t even realized the full impact at this time.

Third, the national tragedy at Sandy Hook has caused everyone across the country to reconsider school safety. It certainly proved to open the door to our budget conversation sooner rather than later. It is not the main reason for the referendum. Was there an outcry from parents about safety? Yes! The board directed staff to complete a comprehensive safety assessment. They came back with a plan and a number of recommendations on how to build in additional layers of security.

There are some who think we are using this tragedy for political purposes, and since those comments have been directed at me personally, I feel compelled to respond.

The individual school safety assessments must be followed with action. I am talking about infrastructure changes to our entranceways, fencing, an integrated radio system, automatic locking door mechanisms, and so on. A culture of safety needs to be proactive, and that must be a focus. To say I'm using this for political reasons takes the focus from where it should be to personal, unwarranted attacks.

At some point, the financial cuts will become so deep as to impact the classroom, and we have reached that point. I'm hoping you're aware of what's happening in Brevard and Volusia counties. Brevard’s referendum failed in the fall. The parents are now putting together a petition to ask the board to hold a special election because they didn’t realize things were “that bad.” They are asking for 1 mill and a half-penny sales tax. Volusia voters voted down their 1 mill referendum in the fall, and they are beginning to cut $33 million.

We felt you had a right to make this decision. The majority of us believed that if you knew all the facts, you might support the referendum and provide our students with the following: restoring 45 minutes of instructional time for students in middle and high schools; protect the arts in education; provide mental health services; deliver programs to help prevent bullying, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and gangs; address security features on all campuses.

If you feel these things are important and our kids deserve them, I am asking you to vote yes. You have the power to decide. It is ironic that a reference was made to bullying. As an elected official, the voter holds the power. Maybe a long hard look in the mirror is due.

Colleen Conklin has been a Flagler County School Board member for the past 13 years.