In case you missed our exclusive report earlier this month detailing the $900 million that South Carolina’s public schools districts have sitting in their reserve accounts (an increase of $150 million from the previous year), here’s a refresher.
Why is this relevant?
Well, this week we’re focusing on Richland County School District Two (you know, the district with the iPad porn problem).
According to officials at this Midlands, S.C. school district, times are tight … even though their budget and reserve accounts continue to expand.
“For the past three years, public education has endured staggering financial hits,” the district claims in the executive summary to its 2011-12 budget (which is nowhere to be found on its website). “The recent recession has taken a huge bit (sic) out of public education dollars as a result of inadequate tax collections and falling property values.”
Staggering hits? Really?
Last time we checked that was patently inaccurate (click here and here, for example). Also, per pupil funding for the 2011-12 fiscal year is $11,754 per student (not counting bonds, investments and transfers) – the highest amount ever. In Richland Two, per pupil funding this year is $12,025 – up from $11,109 the previous year.
In addition to this $312.8 million (and growing) budget, Richland Two currently has $27 million in its reserve account this year (up $4.4 million from the previous year).
Do those sound like “staggering hits” to you? More like steady increases if you ask us …
Anyway, one of the ways the district sought to mitigate this so-called financial storm was to “eliminate the $275 teacher supply stipend except for first year teachers” (the new school choice bill includes a tax credit for teacher supplies, incidentally). District leaders also discussed their desire to “avoid layoffs, even if it necessitates furloughing staff.”
How thoughtful of them …
Given the alleged dire straits being faced by this district, you’d think that they would be watching every penny closely.
Apparently not.
According to a recent review of the district’s finances conducted by South Carolinians for Responsible Government, here are a few non-classroom expenses that were racked up by the district during the month of January …
$12,636.90 – Mobile phones for administrators
$6, 631.31 – Hotel rooms in Myrtle Beach
$8,984.44 – Accommodations at the Hilton Hotel in New York
$20,585 – Travel costs for non-teaching administrators
$1,576 – Superintendent travel ( Superintendent makes $215,000 base salary, plus $18,000 annual annuity contributions, and $10,200 annual travel stipend).
Bear in mind that all of those expenses are for the month of January only.
And speaking of January expenses, let’s not forget the $3,387.96 that the district spent last month … on coffee (we’re told administrators use the costlier per cup gourmet blends).
Sheesh … is it any surprise that less than half of every dollar spent on public education in this state makes its way into the classroom?
Richland Two is a perfect example of the misinformation game being played by our state’s education establishment.
On the one hand, they bemoan imaginary budget reductions – using these phantom cuts as an excuse to stick it to teachers. On the other hand, they live high on the hog and squirrel increasingly large sums of cash into their reserve accounts.
That’s inexcusable under any circumstances, but given the precipitous decline in student achievement in this state … it’s downright intolerable.
It’s also further evidence of the need for market-based reforms that will open up this worst-in-the-nation system to the accountability of the marketplace.
***
By ceilidh10 February 27, 2012 at 1:03 pm
It’s a shame. Kids in China are surpassing our own every day. They care.
I hope the GOP continues to destroy the SC public school system. When they do we will never get any new businesses and everything will surely STAY overseas.
We suck as a state. Continuing to put Repugnants in charge will continue to ensure our last palce status.
Vote for balanced government. Vote for people, the stakeholders in this battle who have no voice.
By SCBlues February 27, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Thanks celidh10 -
I agree completely!
By Robert February 27, 2012 at 1:23 pm
This district has tight budget, but yet they are spending over $500,000 on a specialty item on the construction of the new #19 elementary. An item that is totally unnecessary. No other school in district has this item, nor do any schools in SC. But the a new member of school district is pushing it through.
By Bee February 27, 2012 at 1:39 pm
OK, I’ll bite. Whay is the item?
By shifty henry February 27, 2012 at 3:44 pm
HEY, ME TOO! WHAT IS IT?
By jimlewis,owb February 27, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Hitching Posts
School board member has horse farm and wants everyone to ride a horse to school.
No pollution, little danger of head on collisions, zero use of petroleum based products and provides continuous supply of horse shit second only to the horse shit issued by the District PR Office.
Time to Ditch the Witch
By Tman February 27, 2012 at 1:45 pm
In China students take a test when they are 6 to see what elementary school they will attend. If they score well they are on their way to a good education. Every class however is made to stand in line by their grades so that everyone is sure where they fall on the continuum. At 5th grade there is another test to see who goes to a tech middle school and who goes to a College prep middle school. Another test is administered in 9th grade and your dye is set. Only 11% of Chinese students even qualify to go on to college. Is that what we want? Sounds like the government interfering with the rights of the students to me.
By Jan February 27, 2012 at 7:35 pm
No Tman, that is not what the Republicans want. They want the issue of who gets an education and who goes to college determined the old fashioned way; by who has the most money.
By Bonhoeffer February 27, 2012 at 1:49 pm
What is going on in Richland District Two is only emblematic of what goes on all throughout state government (and private business as well, for that matter. )The fat cats get the big salaries and the perks, (read,school administrators) while the little guys (read, the teachers) who actually do the work, get the crumbs. It has less to do with the “market-place” than it has to do with the system and human nature.
By Not News February 27, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Anyone who reads the drivel on this site and takes it for news needs to think again. This is not a reputable news site. It’s some jerk’s blog. He’s just trying to get hits with sensational and highly inaccurate information.
By Sailor February 27, 2012 at 3:37 pm
So, why are you here?
By Bob Loblaw February 27, 2012 at 4:07 pm
So, what’s inaccurate? It sounds like this article is just stating the financial numbers for the district.
By jimlewis,owb February 27, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Think you pulled up the wrong web site Dr. Brochu.
Believe you were looking for expedia.com
Time to Ditch the Witch
By polyesther February 27, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Here is a quick Q – why do the dollars delineated for each school district on the appropriations page not equal to the dollars that the school districts claim that they have – i.e. where is the difference.
For example (this set of data is from the Senate Appropriations bill – although not the final, it is pretty close):
In Fiscal Year 2011-12, the Greenville School District total pupil count is projected to be 70,978. The per pupil funding is projected to be $4,575 state, $1,114 federal, and $4,739 local. This is a total projected funding level of $10,429 excluding revenues of local bond issues.
Greenville
Total Students: 70,978
State per Student: $4,575
Federal per Student: $1,114
Local per Student: $4,739
Total per Student: $10,428
Total (# of Students x Total per Student): $740,158,584
Here is the question – the Greenville School district budget on their website notes a total annual budget of $442 million – which works out to $6,227 per student – not the $10,428 per student as reported in the Senate Appropriations Bill. Where is the missing $300 million?
I checked a couple of other school districts and somewhat the same story. The Senate is saying that the districts have more than the district has in their budget. What’s UP with these figures FITS?? Missing more money than the Hospitality Association. I am not an accountant – just a plain simple engineer, but clearly, something is wrong with these figures.
The real money savings is reducing administrative costs to get monies into the classroom. The first way to reduce costs is to merge all of these school districts throughout the State into say about 7 to 10 districts (how about one district per each US Congressional District – or two per district) – the problem is we have school districts split between State Reps, Senators and US Districts.
But as we know, the General Assembly has NO balls to do the necessary reconfiguration and quite frankly, no district is going to merge with another district that would result in school boards superintendents and their staffs being eliminated.
By SCBlues February 27, 2012 at 4:43 pm
RepubliCON front-runner Ricky Santorum is against Federal and State funding for public education.
He also is against college education and encourages everyone to not make any contributions to colleges or universities.
Why are the ReopubliCONS against education?
By Sick of Pandering February 27, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Because, SC Blues, it gets them elected by the TeaBaggers and the out of state coastal retirees! No need to invest in education because they won’t be alive when the infrastructure crumbles.
By BIN News February 27, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Click here, and here, and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here for more and more and more and more and more Voucher Scam rhetoric.
One thing about sic(k) willie and Howie’s other Voucher Pimps.
They don’t give up.
As long as Howie the Voucher Clown keeps sending them money.
Vouchers are a fraud.
Vouchers would do nothing for those who need help the most except leave them even further behind. The Voucher Pimps know it.
Howie the Voucher Clown knows it.
They just don’t care.
By Sarah February 28, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Time to tell our legislators to encourage school districts to use that reserve money before they’re given any more money. School districts have been intentionally over-taxing us so they can continue to increase their slush fund.
By BIN News Editgorial Staff February 28, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Sarah,
“…you ignorant slut.”
Sorry. :)
That’s a great quote from SNL that our Funding Editor likes to use sometimes when sic(k) willie vomits up Voucher Clown rhetoric like you did in your 02/28/12 post.
Sarah, you certainly know that what you mindlessly call a “slush fund” is really a “rainy day” fund.
Required. Legal. Necessary.
And just plain good business for tax payers.
You pander to those who don’t understand. But you understand!
Don’t you Sarah. ;)
And thanks to the economy and anti-public-education wackos like you and Howie the Voucher Clown, it’s been raining like HELL-O on education and kids in SC for several years.