Smiley/Forest Brook Merger Off!

[Guest Ozen]

The North Forest school board narrowly rejected a cost-cutting plan Monday night to merge the district's two high schools, lay off employees and combine two elementary schools.

As a result of the 4-3 vote, the North Forest Independent School District still faces a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

Interim Superintendent William Jones had proposed combining Forest Brook and Smiley high schools and Tidwell and Hilliard elementary schools for the 2008-09 school year. Some trustees who voted against the idea said they need more information and more time to warn the community.

Tidwell, which has been closed because of mold problems for part of this year, would remain shut under the proposal. The plan, though, did not say whether Forest Brook or Smiley would close.

Trustees were bitterly divided on whether to approve the plan, which would cut $7 million from its $75.6 million budget this school year and $10.6 million next year. The board plans to meet Monday night to reconsider the budget reductions.

"In combining campuses, I believe it is only fair to allow our public to have a comment period," said trustee Silvia Brooks Williams. "How do we know that our taxpayers would not opt for a tax increase?"

Carl Williams, the assistant superintendent of finance, said the northeast Houston district would need to increase taxes by up to 60 percent to get enough money to cover the massive budget shortfall expected, mostly due to declining student enrollment.

"I don't think anybody would vote for that," he said.

Trustees Charles Taylor Sr. and Barbara Gaston, who both voted for the superintendent's plan, said the board needs to act quickly before the Texas Education Agency forces the district's hand.

"We are facing a $17.5 million deficit" over two years, Taylor said. "If we do nothing, I promise you, they'll do something."

Board President Tobie Ross Jr. also supported the plan, while vice president Allen Provost and trustee Albert Lemons voted against it.

The TEA already has placed financial and academic conservators in North Forest, and the agency this month sent in an additional team to study the problems. Conservators have the power to overrule the superintendent and the board on most matters.

Ron Rowell, the TEA's senior director of school governance who was at the board meeting Monday, praised trustees for probing the administration about the budget proposal. But he said they need to move quickly to reduce expenses, so they can let employees know whether they have a job and inform parents where their children will attend school.

"There's an urgency (to approve a plan) because we need to see what the board thinks," Rowell said. "We have to give them a chance to fix themselves."

Jones' proposal included firing several employees immediately. The information that Jones gave to board members did not say how many employees would be affected, but he said they were not teachers or others who work directly with students. Jones said after the meeting that he did not know off hand the number of employees he recommended firing this school year.

For the 2008-09 school year, documents show that 87 positions would be eliminated. Jones said he hopes to avoid layoffs and to reduce staff through retirements and resignations.

Betty Robinson, who represents teachers and other employees, said she would like the district to offer older employees a monetary incentive to retire. She also supports combining Forest Brook and Smiley, a long-debated issue.

"The board just has to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done," said Robinson, president of the American Federation of Teachers for North Forest.

The merger of Smiley and Forest Brook, which are both rated "academically unacceptable" by the state, would not be new. Students from Forest Brook attended Smiley earlier this school year while repairs were done to their campus.

"I've been part of discussions for combining schools since they started back in the '90s," Jones said. "I think the community has heard enough of us, and we need to take some actions."

The impact of the district's money problems also became clearer Monday night when officials revealed that they were forced to delay buying several items, such as computers, that were supposed to be used to improve student achievement this school year.

Because the district does not have money in its reserve account, it had to wait for federal grant money to roll in before buying the items. On Monday, though, the board was able to sign off on the purchases, which included computers, graphing calculators, tutors and teacher training for Smiley and laptops for Shadydale Elementary.

Gaston expressed concern that the students won't benefit from the purchases before having to take the high-stakes Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills next month.

"How is this going to help our students with so late of a purchase?" Gaston asked.

Edna Forte, the district's director of federal programs, said she expects the items to arrive soon.

Also at the meeting, the board fixed a questionable budgeting move, approving the repayment of bond funds to the district's construction account.

Earlier this school year, the district's administration, without board approval, borrowed $6 million from the construction account because the district did not have enough money to cover general expenses, including payroll. Bond funds, by law, are supposed to be used for construction-related expenses.

Board members also agreed — though some were reluctant — to spend $37,600 to hire people to monitor schools for any wrongdoing during the TAKS testing. The Texas Education Agency is requiring the monitors at the district's five "academically unacceptable" campuses.

During a cheating investigation in 2006, Forest Brook was flagged for possible problems more than any other campus in the state. The TEA never found evidence of cheating.

"When does TEA have mercy on us?" Gaston asked.

[BLUEDOVE3]

That school district has had problems since back in the 80's. What is going on out there? A 60% tax increase to cover their deficit? Sheez!