This came from Andy Gammil's blog. Now we know we know why IPS is such a mess.
IPS BUDGET VOTE RAISES GOVERNANCE QUESTIONS
There was an interesting exchange last night at the Indianapolis Public Schools Board meeting, in which it came up that the board didn't really know all the details of what they were voting on. They had the big picture of major shifts in priority and how much was spent in each fund and where things were changing.
But the documents provided to them wouldn't necessarily have answered questions about how much money was being budgeted for a specific line item. Member Kelly E. Bentley voted against the budget, saying the administration had not answered her questions about how money was allocated in the budget.
Another board member and the superintendent told her that the summaries provided by the administration should have been more than enough. Bentley countered that the board's job was fiscal oversight.
"I think as a school board we have that obligation," Bentley said in the meeting, "and I'm not sure how resources get allocated to schools."
The district's practice has been to give board members ...
... the fund-by-fund budget numbers along with a breakdown of any changes or decreases by area. But the actual line item amounts are in a separate budget that Bentley said board members did not receive.
Board member Marianna R. Zaphiriou told Bentley that she felt her request -- and the suggestion that other board members weren't asking enough questions -- was wrongheaded.
"Part of that implication is that some of us should feel uncomfortable, and we don't," she said. "I have no reason to want that level of information. I don't feel the need to request that information."
Superintendent Eugene White told Bentley she was welcome to make an appointment and go line by line through the budget with district finance officials. But he said he wouldn't waste the board's time by giving them the entire budget to review.
"We have not and we don't intend to give you the specificity of each of those items," White said. "It would be too prohibitive for you to go through that.... We're not going to bring that to you. We're asking you to approve the budget, and to go any deeper than that would take a lot of your time and be ridiculous."
The board adopted the budget 6-1.
No one is going to tell Eugene White what to do or ask him questions. He owns this school system and it is staffed with his buddies and family members. He thinks the school board members are too dumb to ask questions or make decisions. He may be right about a couple of them like Mary Busch.
ReplyDeleteMarianna R. Zaphiriou SHOULD feel uncomfortable. At last, another Board member (Bentley) has asked a hard question, and frankly, the remaining Board members now look like toadies and bobble-headed 'yes men/women'.
ReplyDeleteMs. Bentley, thank you for exercising some higher-level questioning skills and some data-driven problem solving skills in drilling down the budget.
Why doesn't Dr. White establish a School Board Data Room like in each of his schools? He could post that line item budget (filled with significant data) on the Data Wall, invite the Board members to join him on a Data Walk, and then engage in a rich dialogue.
Thank you to Kelly Bentley - obviously the only member of the board who understands that it is their job to know everything about what is going on financially and otherwise - because they are the ones making all the important decisions that affect students and employees of the system. That's exactly why things are so bad - they don't have a clue about what's going on, and couldn't care less.
ReplyDeleteSo again, thank you for trying to do your job. If the board members aren't supposed to know anything, what's the point of having a board? Having six people agree to everything without question is ridiculous. Never asking questions? What use is a board like that?
Yes..we should thank Bentley for being brave enough to tell the emperor that he has no clothes.....we should remember her on election day as well as remember some of the other puppets on the board like Zaphiriou.
ReplyDeleteEugene White's comments to Kelly Bentley showed his attitude to be very similar to the attitude exhibited by teacher's when the principal asks them questions about 'why' they're doing a particular thing in class, 'where' their lesson plans are, 'why' they don't have an agenda posted on the board, etc.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with Kelly Bentley, a woman to be proud of who is not afraid to ask the important questions. The rest of the Board Members sound like the former members of the Enron Board? Just a bunch of heads that wobble like the old bobble-headed dolls, shame on Zaphiriou, what a fool.
ReplyDeleteWhich comment above was written by Jane Kendrick????
ReplyDeleteDr. White is TELLING the Board to approve the Budget but tells them he has no intention of giving them the details!? Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteKELLY BENTLEY FOR SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT!!!!
ReplyDeleteDr. White does not like it when people stand up to him...especially when they call him out on his moral wrongdoings.
Scene one:
ReplyDeleteBratty kid holding matches behind his back says to parents...."I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do, but is it ok if I do it?
Parents: Uhmm, OK...whatever.
Scene two: Pan out to neighborhood up in flames.
THE END
Oh please Kelly Bentley is no better then the rest of them. Her interest is Broad Ripple and the rest of IPS can fall in a hole. Her pal is the principal, her other friend is in a "protected" (i.e. created just for her) position. And her third bud is running the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteWhen her kid was a student she demanded daily e-mail reports from his teachers.
wow....that's amazing....It never ceases to amaze me that we have a board who refuses to ask the questions. Thank you Kelly Bentley for supporting the STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI thank Ms. Bentley for requesting accountability for public monies supplied to IPS by the taxpayers. Evidently many of the IPS Board members have ridden the gravy train for so long they've forgotten the money in their budget is tax payers' money; not theirs, not Eugene White's, and not an entitlement.
ReplyDeleteI have to say Kelly Bentley has been a decent Board Member. As a parent, I have written emails to the school board on several occasions. Mary and Joanne have NEVER taken the time to respond to my concerns. The only two were Kelly and Diane. I don't know why the vote was unanimous for White's bonus, or the hiring of his son, but I am glad she stood firm this time. THank you.
ReplyDeleteEveryone who posts here, remember to also post your comments on Indystar's site! Thank you Kelly Bentley!
ReplyDeleteDo you really think Edgar Bergen had meaningful dialogue with Charley McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd?
ReplyDeleteCopied from today's (August 30) Indiana Barrister's website (by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz)
ReplyDelete_________________________________________________
Open Up, IPS!
Although I have my issues with the management of Indianapolis Public Schools, I have been trying to give them the benefit of the doubt this school year. However that was shot down this morning when I read at Tuesday’s budget hearing, board member Kelly Bentley was denied an itemized copy of the District’s 2010 $448 million budget.
According to the Star’s behind Closed Doors, board members were given a general overview of the budget, but not an itemized breakdown of expenditures. Bentley said as a board member she should know how funds are allocated, however IPS Superintendent Eugene White said he would not “waste the board’s time” by giving it a total budget to review. He said Bentley could make an appointment and come in and see the numbers.
No offense Dr. White, but the Board is made up of the duly elected representatives of the people and are entitled to review the budget line-by-line before they vote on it. And a a majority of the Board members (the budget passed 5-1) don’t have the political spine to demand such information, I will.
Below is a copy of my Freedom of Information request that I will be dropping off by your office Monday morning.
31 August 2009
Dr. Eugene White
Indianapolis Public Schools
JMF Center For Education Services
120 E. Walnut
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Dear Dr. White:
Pursuant to the Indiana Access to Public Records Act (IC 5-14-3), I would like to obtain the following public records:
A printed copy of the District’s $448 million budget adopted this past Tuesday by the board by a vote of 5-1.
An electronic copy of the District’s $448 million budget adopted this past Tuesday by the board.
Any and all Executive summaries of the budget, as well as a line-by-line breakdown of funds by character, department and school.
I understand that if I seek a copy of this record, there may be a copying fee. Please inform me of that cost prior to making the copy. I can be reached at 317-XXX-XXXX.
According to the statute, you have 24 hours to respond to this request. If you choose to deny the request, then you are required to respond in writing and state the statutory exception authorizing the withholding of all or part of the public record and the name and title or position of the person responsible for the denial.
Thank you for your assistance on this matter.
Respectfully Submitted,
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, Esq.
WXNT-AM
9245 N. Meridian, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46260
(317)816-4000
I get very suspicious when school districts aren’t willing to open up and provide full disclosure and individuals have to jump through hoops to get public information. It makes me think they’re hiding something. For example, it’s been rumored IPS hired an “Activity Director” at Broad Ripple High School for $85,000 at a time when teachers are getting laid off. A good look at the budget would put that to rest. Taxpayers could also find out how much they are paying to put gas in Dr. White’s car.
This attitude by Dr. White is the epitome of intellectual arrogance (which I of all people am a expert on) and a total disregard for the taxpayers. It’s amazing that someone would spend all legislative session crying poverty, but when asked to show their budget line-by-line, as my lovely grandmother would say, “they start acting funky and talking crazy.”
I am dropping off my request Monday morning after my radio show. I will let you know what happens. And if I get an electronic copy of the budget, I will make it available for you to inspect yourself.
Posted: 08|30|09 at 8:34 am by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
Thank you, Abdul!
ReplyDeleteGo, Abdul. I appreciate your insights and your actions. Why don't you run for School Board?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kelly Bentley for doing your job.We need more people on the board like you that are not afraid of asking questions.
ReplyDeleteJust imagine. When we finally get a link posted to a copy of the line-item budget, we can see the exact amount spent by each top level administrator for their foreign and domestic travels. That alone should be interesting reading.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't consider reviewing a line-item budget a waste of my time or the Board's time; it's called oversight of public funds.
No person will be perfect, but how nice to see someone asking for the details. In a system as big as IPS, 'little' details matter. Had they said "Well, we didn't think it was necessary for you to see it, but sure, here you go" with an itemized budget, I wouldn't be so bothered. But to deny her a copy, as a Board Member who has to vote on behalf of constituents?
ReplyDeleteIt is absurd, and I should hope that the local news has covered it throughly. The devil is in the details, and maybe that's how the school board believes things are doing okay. They haven't taken a glance at them.
School board members should be required to look them over. Perhaps every team of two should be required to look over a certain number of schools' individual budgets to get a closer look at where the money is being spent.
Kelly Bentley- thanks for trying. I'm not even in IPS, but I would hope that my school board would stand up to this kind of shady business. Ask the tough questions- and you know, if you were perhaps an overly involved parent... there are worse kinds of parents to be.