Ms. Franklin’s desire that the board of supervisor’s just give the school board money and then let them spend it as they see fit is symbolic of the huge problems that exist with this school system. They want an unlimited purse and no oversight. They are the only branch of County government that is allowed to demand such freedom. The other agencies in the government have to submit budgets and then some items are cut or modified and the BoS approves a final budget. The school board, on the other hand submits their demands and the BoS either approves it in its entirety or denies it. However, they do not make modifications or line-item cuts as they do to other departments.

Other agencies of government are told to make do with less money and to do more with less money and directed to cut pay, benefits and anything else needed to minimize the impact felt by the citizens. The school system, on the other hand, seems to pass the pain on to the parents and students FIRST, often choosing a budget path that will lead to a diminution in services that will be clearly felt by the parents and students but will largely leave the school employees unaffected. This is done in a not-so-thinly-veiled attempt to get parents to lobby the BoS to provide more money to the schools and is often followed by the hue and cry to raise taxes.

Had the Montgomery County School Board been better stewards of the public monies entrusted to them, perhaps simply providing money to them and letting them choose how to spend it would be a more viable solution. However, they have not demonstrated the fiscal responsibility needed to allow this. For example, this year they are moving the school administrative offices from the current location into the Montgomery County Government Center. To facilitate this move, the BoS allowed the school system to use almost half a million dollars that was left over in last year’s budget. They determined that about $100,000 in new and upgraded computer and electronic equipment was needed. They also decided they needed about $85,000 in new furniture for their new digs. Then another approximately $250,000 was reserved to cover moving expenses. The question that comes to mind after hearing this is, if you are buying new furniture and new computer equipment, what could possibly be left that is going to cost a quarter of a million dollars to move? This surplus was given to them largely without question, with the school board determining that this was the best way to spend this money this year, despite the fact that this year, parents are being asked to donate copy paper to their students classes because the school board has only provided each classroom with one case of paper to use.

So with rationing paper and other school supplies, it is clear that this school board thinks new furniture for its administrators should be more of a priority than should supplies for the students. Apparently they figure they should just ask the taxpayers to shoulder the additional burden, and expect to be able to do so from the comfort of their lavish new offices.

So tell me Ms. Franklin, how much copy paper would $400,000 buy. If you want to retain complete and unfettered discretion over how you spend the taxpayers’ money, perhaps you should demonstrate a little more fiscal responsibility and prioritize the actual education of the students over the creature comforts for the administration.