UPDATE: Bad News Costs More Than We Thought

At the June 10, 2014 Iowa City Community School District board meeting, it was revealed that the district’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget blueprint cost $2,428 to print – twice as much as I previously estimated ($900-$1500).

Central administration did not bat an eye or make any explanation or apologies. It’s hard to get into the mind of administrators who would think that presenting this information to the public in this extravagant format and presentation would somehow lessen its impact.

Did they expect us to “ooh” and “ahh” at all the pretty colors?

My favorite features of this document are the extra blank pages at the front and the back similar to a high school yearbook for autographs from your favorite administrator. The cost of this document represents 8.1% of the shortfall for 7th-grade football or any of the programs that were cut entirely or degraded.

I get the feeling that some board members are finally recognizing that they hurt the district by rubber-stamping the superintendent’s decisions and failing to question and verify the superintendent’s wants and needs. Even so, the board approved the budget cuts.

When speaking before the board at Tuesday’s meeting, I thought of ripping the blueprint in half to show my disgust with the administration’s lack of community and staff involvement. But after hearing how much this document is worth, I propose now to put it up for private auction. I would encourage board members, the superintendent and administrative staff to autograph it at the June 24 board meeting and to place it up for bid with proceeds of its sale to go to the district general fund.

What shall we start the bidding at?

-- Phil Hemingway