Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Happy Days are Here Again

What is up with the Havre school board? Prior to the mill levy election back on May 3rd we saw countless articles about all the layoffs and program cuts that would be made if by chance the mill levy should fail. Then Election Day rolls around and Havre voters vote to pass the levies by very narrow margins. The schools official press statements say thanks but we are still going to have to cut to make the budget for next year but they can make it work thanks to the generosity of the voters.

The timeline of all these stories confuse me. First we hear all the doom and gloom financial stories leading up to the May 3rd election. Then we vote yes on a building “reserve” levy on Tuesday, May 3rd for $185,000. School officials decide to certify election results on Wed, May 4th. Then on Thursday May 5th they award a contract to install a storm drain with dubious benefit into the Highland Park School playground with a cost in excess of $150,000 not to mention landscaping and other work to be done by the school system personnel to complete the project. This seems to be in direct conflict with all the news reports claiming to be broke. What appears to have happened is that within 48 hours of the passage of the building reserve mill levy the school administration raced to get the money spent so we can claim poverty for the next mill levy election. Pockets filled with green on Tuesday – pockets emptied on Thursday faster than a kid in a candy store.

Now move forward to the school board meeting of May 11th. The HDN reports that the board elected Darlene Bricker as the new chair and they talked a bit about cyber-bullying. Although HDN reporter Zack White was in attendance at this meeting there was no report of the board’s discussion to provide raises to school administration people. Why do you suppose Zack left that little tidbit out of the news? Also reported in the HDN was the fact that current school clerk Zella Witter is retiring and will be replaced by Mike Arnold. Arnold moved here some time back from Malta to train for the job under Witter with a salary in the mid 30’s. What wasn’t reported in the HDN was that Witter earned in the mid $80’s so former board chairman Christianson thought Arnold’s salary should be immediately boosted to $65,000 or so to be more comparable to what former clerk Witter was earning. Now just a minute here while I think this over. Arnold moves here with a promise of a salary of $35,000 or so and is perfectly happy to take the job and now less than a year latter our (so broke that they may have to cut programs and lay off teachers) school board sees fit to double his salary? What is wrong with this picture?

We have been told by our sources at the school that this move is why former chairman Lee Christianson is now the FORMER chair. Why didn’t the HDN report this interesting little fact? Hopefully new chairman Bricker will use a little more common sense and remember that the taxpayers are struggling and it really isn’t the time to be granting big raises to administration employees.

The Corrector will continue in our quest to publish the school budget on our blog as soon as we can find the top-secret hiding place in which the board hides it from the public. Anyone with information as to the operations at the school drop us an e-mail at havredailycorrector@gmail.com

15 comments:

  1. You are not suggesting that the school board deceived us are you?

    What a surprise!

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  2. Once again we have the HDC snivelling about the fact that everything that happens in Montana is not run by them for their approval first. Yep,you guys are a kick.

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  3. Sorry I stole your line Bill but just couldn't resist

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  4. You may be ok with how the school trustees operate Jake but I am offended that they would plead poverty and then turn around and talk about big raises for everyone.



    I won’t even mention the money they waste out of the building and grounds budget.

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  5. lest we forget, they work for the school system... they deserve the best, and the most, just ask them. Even if those raises meant that 1000 lowly montanans starve, or people lose thier houses because they cant afford the taxes then so be it. Its for the children !

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  6. It’s all good. I borrowed the money to pay my school taxes this year but I should have it all paid off in time for next year’s new mill levy bonus so the kids don’t get short changed and the mucky mucks can have their colossal raises again

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  7. Looks like our good friend Bill Thackeray is back posing as Jake this time around. I thought he swore that he never looked at this blog

    Your a kick Bill

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  8. Sorry Rat but my name is Jake Kubrick and I don't pose as anyone but myself

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  9. It is kind of irritating they are talking about raises after fleecing us with the ballot issues. I voted no so I am allowed to bitch

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  10. Witter made HOW MUCH? The new dude is going to make HOW MUCH? Holy crap I'm in the wrong line of work. I'm thrilled to see where my money is going.

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  11. I'm with Jimbo. I voted no. I'm just upset there wasn't a "HELL NO" box to check.

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  12. Jake I also have been kind of sniveling about the free spending of my tax money by this board on nonsense so I don’t think that is unique to this blog.

    Does anyone see private businesses in Havre able to spend 150 thousand bucks on interior drainage for their parking lots? That amount of money would pay three or four additional teachers for a year or it could even fund another phantom superintendent or other administrator if they should decide to send one down the road with a couple of years windfall pay. Has anyone else heard of any people in Havre in the private sector with less than one year on the job getting their salary doubled?


    I agree there needs to be more transparency in our school and I am glad this blog calls them out about it even if they chose to be anonymous. I am glad you came out into the open Jake Kubrick. My name is Clark Kent from a town called Smallville and I also don’t pose as anyone but myself.
    LOL

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  13. I did vote hell no corvette for all the good it did me

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  14. Jake Kubrick I have to say I agree with Clark Kent on this one LMAO.

    I am also glad this blog calls out the free spending of our school administration even if they do choose to stay incognito. What is distressing is that for every one example this blog exposes there are 50 more dumb decisions made that we will never hear about. Why are they fearful of the public reading the school budget? Think think think Jake instead of being critical

    My name is Ratchael Attackerman and I pose only as myself
    (I am listed in the phone book right next to Jake)

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  15. You know Jake, don't ya? His brother Stanley made a few movies a few years back in Hollywood!

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