You Call That a Budget?
Lost in the media hype around the recent CMS decisions around school closings and the subsequent public forums – where the reporting focused on the anger and outrage – was any true focus on the actions of previous school board and CMS members that actually led to this situation.
All of us have read plenty of commentary dealing with a range of topics – from claims that this is nothing but a plot to re-segregate schools to the various protests of school closings – to name a couple. But what about a little outrage for what got us here to begin with? What about asking more tough questions around how CMS budgets for their operations? In other words, how did this mess get created and what can be done to help keep us out of it in the future?
Let’s start at a fundamental level, the 101 of any business or family (everyone except for our government apparently) – a realistic budget. What many people don’t know about the school budget is how it is actually calculated. CMS budgets are based on projections, not on what they actually have to spend. Now, I don’t know about you, but I think it would be a losing argument with my wife (aka the Watkins family CFO) if I tried to convince her this new 3 car garage I’d like to build seems like a good purchase now based on the money I “project” I’ll make next year. And even though it will be mostly empty because I only have one car, we can afford to do it so why not? So forget about our savings or paying down any existing debt for now (again, fundamentals of a budget) because we can always come back to that. I mean, all of this seems like a reasonable approach to planning and budgeting for any family, right? Wrong.
But if you are part of CMS it sure does.
Sure, it makes plenty of sense to build classrooms that stay empty simply because tax revenues can support it (ummmm…possibly) in the future! As CMS Board Eric Davis put it, “In the past, during times of plenty, we could afford to have schools with empty classrooms. We can’t afford that anymore”. Brilliant! But you know Eric, here’s a novel thought. Just because there are “times a plenty” going on, that doesn’t really mean you can afford to waste tax payer dollars. While it may be typical for the government to spend, spend, spend what they don’t have these days – businesses and families don’t operate that way. So why should you? The same way I won’t build a garage I can’t afford to fill with cars I don’t have anyway…well, the same standard should apply to CMS and building schools they can’t really afford with classrooms they can’t fill. Surprise, surprise – it leads to closings and firings and public outrage. Guess that is kind of hard to imagine in those wonderful “times of plenty” funded by the generous tax payers of North Carolina and Mecklenburg County.
This is just but one example of CMS showing total disregard for spending restraint over the years. And I’m sure we could digress here into a lengthy dissertation on all the areas where CMS overspent and underestimated over the years or where their lack of fiscal responsibility led to their own self-inflicted woes. But for the purpose of this blog I won’t head down that road. We just haven’t got the time to delve into all that detail in a simple blog. However, I will say this.
CMS, Superintendent, School Board Members, etc. – please, please, please learn from this a very valuable lesson. Take heed from the painful lesson you’ve experienced over the past year. Abandon your “times a plenty” spend habit and adopt a more fiscally conservative approach going forward (and feel free to pass that advice to Washington). Yes, you are going to have to make cuts and disappoint many parents, teachers, and students this year. And yes, it will likely cost you some school board seats or popular votes. But it is the right thing to do for the future of this school district.
Instead, do consider saving money when the good times come back around to help safeguard us during times of economic woe. Do consider not wasting money on projects that are unsustainable. Do target budget dollars for high ROI programs like KIPP Charlotte rather than wasting them on empty classrooms. In other words, do safeguard tax payers money and establish a solid framework for our very important public school system. Be smart with our tax dollars, not wasteful.
At the end of the day, we don’t need Superman to come and save us. We just need you to do your job responsibly.
Just like every other family and business is forced to do in these trying times.
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