It’s time for fiscal responsibility
When will the community of Lehighton Area School District see fiscal responsibility from its school board? In November of 2018 the school board unanimously passed a motion to move their bank accounts to TD Bank. You can read the motion on Page 23 of the Nov. 19, 2018, board minutes at https://www.lehighton.org/Page/614.
At the Nov. 12, 2018, Finance Committee Meeting, this was discussed and recommended to be brought to a motion for the board. A presentation was given by TD Bank at the Finance Committee Meeting on Oct. 8, 2018. You can read the minutes for both of these meetings at https://www.lehighton.org/Page/209.
Now we’ve had $4 million shortfall and a 1-mill tax increase, and to date this transition has not been completed. Why did the majority board not question this? This was brought up at the latest board meeting by a minority board member apparently due to an email sent to the board by TD Bank.
Not only would more interest be generated, but TD Bank could offer key security enhancements for the accounts there.
When will we see the majority board do their job and oversee the administration to make sure that motions that are passed by the board are carried out? (There have been more motions passed that were not completed.)
They were elected to do a job. It’s time we make sure they do that job. After all, it’s for the kids.
Barbara Bowes
Mahoning Township
Comments
Good afternoon. Do you read any of the district documents? Since the old BM left they seem to contradict and often do not balance. The information given to the public cand to the State or Bond companies seem to not match.
I suggest an accounting class, and a meeting with your district government officials that have rubber stamped the corruption and waste. A balanced budget with a tax decrease was presented, and the board majority thumbed their noses. They voted to rubber stamp the administration with blind trust and implemented a ~$44M budget with a tax increase.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
We love ya Joe for speaking out, and please do more, the conversations reform government. But, please, please, please verify, verify, verify. These people are collecting and consuming $40M+, year after year, escalating the budge with a reducing enrollment, borrowed and spent $100M and claiming it is for the children. Let's start fresh, boot/ant and we the people openly elect the foot in the boot.
Good afternoon. Please consider taking a basic accounting class. In this case, the 'shortfall' means they want to spend more that they are taking in, and are using the fund balance to cover the shortfall. How does a budget grow 10% after consolidation savings and the lack of need to build another stadium, Elementary center? Waste and corruption. The act of legally taking is a swipe of a pen.
The board rubber stamps all the hiring of any uneeded personnel, overtime, bonuses, vacations, educational benefits, family medical to extended members, supplies, cell phones, solicitor fees, and Larry's immunity plea etc. Fox and the hen house.
The year ending 2019 was balanced, and the fund balance was intact, as budgeted. It is the new 2020 year of tax and spend has returned with the consumption UP about 10%. Growing the budget is not unlike the ease of force required to take candy from a baby, the stroke of a pen. Here the authoritarian force CHOSE to CONSUME more than they know we will be receiving in revenue, WITHOUT changes in educational benefits to the students, there are staff consumption, not student consumption.
Oh, and BTW the State and Federal don't pay for waste or corruption, only us local foot that bill. Remember the old Superintendent memorandum of understanding? We footed that chaos created by the feckless slumlord board. Just sayin'.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Easy there, I don’t want to upset you since your the kind of guy that gets barred from being around the schools. I was just asking questions clarifying a very confusing letter.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.