Once again, the Cobb County School District finds itself in a budget shortfall situation and looking for money to close the deficit. If the deficit is real and minds are open, I suggest raising the cost of the After School Program. Yes, this won't make me popular, but at least I'm not proposing to sell teachers' curriculum and work product.
If the program is the same across Cobb, and I feel certain that it is, parents pay a mere $7 per child. For this amount, children are kept on school premises from 3 to 6:30 p.m., engage in monitored play and learning activities (homework) and are provided a snack and drink.
The program charge seems barely sufficient to cover the costs of operation. And this assumes that the monies are actually used to pay the expenses of running the program, which given the financial sleight of hand and monetary shell games conducted by CCSD, is a rather large and risky assumption to make.
I have been told that the funds collected from the ASP go into each principal's discretionary fund. However, one cannot verify this, given the lack of transparency by CCSD.
I recommend that CCSD determine the market value for the services provided and that the ASP charges more closely align with that value. I don't know what this amount is, but it certainly much more than $7. These funds should then be placed into the general fund to defray system wide expenses. Principals should NOT be able to retain these funds.
I also recommend that we use the new, high durability turf to generate income. The schools can rent out the fields or use them for competition events. Of course, this assumes that we can get the coaches to allow others to use "their" fields. I still see high school bands practicing everywhere but the fields. As with the ASP monies, these monies should go into the general fund and not some discretionary fund at the principals' discretion.
If the problem is real, then so must be the solutions. And real solutions do not involve trying to secretly and surreptitiously devise a way to tap SPLOST funds by circumventing or ignoring a July 15, 2009, legal opinion from Brock Clay regarding SPLOST "excess proceeds" and the 2004 GA Supreme Court case Haugen v. Henry County.
It's time for CCSD and the school board to pack away the smoke and mirrors and put up or shut up.
Alan Faircloth
Kennesaw
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School SPLOST money cannot be used for stadiums, but why should that stop anything.
I will never understand why Pete Borden did not continue his law suit against the school system over this illegal expenditure of Education-SPLOST money. One judge ruled for him, another judge ruled against him. Wonder what a third judge would have said?
Not sure what the criteria or policy for selecting which letters to the editor are published, but perhaps some basic fact checking is in order!
Given this, I believe the program pays for itself. At a private daycare facility, there are less children. Just as in many other things, the lower the class ratio, the higher the price. You CANNNOT compare ASP to a private daycare facility when it comes to price. Many ASP programs have more than 60 children. My experience at private after school daycare is 10 students at the most, divided by age groups in separate rooms. You don't get that in public school.
It's apples & oranges Alan.
I'm no advocate of more publicly-funded programs, but at some point you have to take a realistic view of the situation, instead of through some hysterical conspiracy-theory lens like yours.
Not all children stay for the full duration. Not sure why you don't think the value received is worth the amount paid, but you need to consider the alternatives. The program was created to help eliminate the number of "latch key children" in our community. It largely succeeds in meeting this goal.
BTW, I went to the CCSD website, searched for ASP info and found TONS of information. Why do you claim CCSD hides it?
As far as turf goes, if you know of a coach abusing his/her authority over management of the fields (such as denying the use to band programs), report them!!! There is no excuse for such misbehavior.
Regarding the use of excess SPLOST funds to save teachers' jobs... If it is illegal, present your case. It's funny how you suddenly put credibility in the opinions of Brock Clay when any other time you would deride them!