CMS Suckers; UPDATE – MeckGOP Calls For Budget Redo
Less than a day after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools snagged a $26-million budget bump from the board of commissioners’ Democrat majority, which fretted that providing less would leave to a massive layoffs of teachers – because, you know, Superintendent Peter Gorman and the school board said so – CMS announced that $30 million from the state had unexpectedly fallen into its lap and it would be able to avert many of the threatened pink slips.
How’s that for fortuitous timing.
Now I’m not saying that Gorman and CMS deliberately and proactively lied to and/or misled the board of commissioners, as well as the public at large, about the $30 million in state funds to secure an extra $26 million from the county. I’ll leave that to Commissioner Bill James, whose latest e-newsletter was none-too-subtly headlined: They Lied (no surprise); CMS’ tale of public deceit in the budget; Lying ‘for the children’ is SOP in Charlotte. The rest of the story, according to James:
The ink was hardly dry on the Mecklenburg County budget’s massive tax increase when, less than 24 hours later, CMS announces there would be few layoffs.
On the ‘Meckfuture’ facebook page is a bubbling announcement:
“Big news!!!: “No reduction in force for 792 educators! The School Board’s meeting is still ongoing but Dr. Gorman reported that a RIF would not be necessary. The Board only took action for teachers who were not performing to state standards or who lacked licensure requirements.” (repost from MeckFUTURE)”
Pretty convenient that less than 24 hours after the Commission gives CMS ½ the money they insisted was needed to avert ½ the disaster, they manage to come up with all the money they need with no layoffs while the state budget is not even final.
It is almost as though CMS were lying to the public. Almost as though they were manipulating the fiscal facts in order to get County dollars. It is almost EXACTLY like the County Commission Democrats getting conned by CMS.
Clearly, CMS knew (or staff and Gorman knew) how much they were REALLY going to get from the State when that County Commission budget dog and pony show was going on 5 days earlier.
Clearly, CMS knew (or staff and Gorman new) 24 hours earlier when the County Commission was wrestling with how much was needed ‘for the children’.
This isn’t just a case of CMS getting lucky and the state dropping some extra cash, this is about deception on the part of CMS of the highest order – Gorman in particular – maybe the School Board – in presenting a false financial picture to the County, withholding critical financial info in the weeks leading up to the Commission vote. Of course, we now know Gorman is headed out the door to work for Fox News (aka ‘News Corporation’ in their education division).
I understand why Gorman, et al did it. He wanted to con the Democrats out of the $26 million – his last con job. The D’s were likely willing ‘marks’ in this con game since I suspect Jennifer and co. wanted to be conned ‘for the children’. Gorman was the ‘huckster’ who manipulated the County Commission Democrats and ‘lifted’ $26 million from the public purse using a classic sob story of the innocent waif about to starve (educationally). CMS used compassion as a weapon against the Democrats. CMS knows how to push the Democrats buttons and extract (in this case) $26 million in additional taxpayer dollars. It works every time.
However it occurred – CMS was lying to the public, those soccer moms whipped into a frenzy about their ‘babies’ over the last few months, and to the Commission and County staff (not to mention the media that swallowed it hook, line and sinker).
I didn’t expect anything less from CMS (in fact I predicted it). There is an ‘ends justify the means’ attitude about CMS. CMS believes that they can lie, cheat, steal, manipulate and otherwise fabricate fiscal evidence as long as it is ‘for the children’.
It is also equally clear that the Democrats on the County Commission can’t be trusted with the public purse as they fall for these cons time and again at the first utterance of how much ‘the children’ need. It is even joked about within the County (privately of course).
CMS however plays this game well recognizing that those that witness the deception will move on and those new folks that move to Charlotte will be unaware of their ability to manipulate them. Because of this, those that are disillusioned are replaced by those that initially see CMS with wide-eyed innocence ready to give Fagin their last tuppence (or in the case of the Democrats, YOUR last tuppence).
I see the con going something like this:
1. CMS (in April): We will fire 792 teachers unless you give us $55 million. We must have $55 million to save those 792 educators !
2. CMS (in May): Ok, If you ‘only’ give us $26 million we can ‘only’ save 406 teacher positions. You will kill education in Mecklenburg unless you give us the $55 million! Please – it is for the children! Have some compassion!
3. BOCC Democrats (in June): OK, we will give you $26 million ‘for the children’ but you promise you really need it right? Double-pinky swear?
4. CMS (last week): We promise (with hands folded and halo glowing).
5. BOCC Democrats (on Tuesday- hook in mouth by this point): “We do not feel it goes far enough, in reality, to support education,” Roberts said of the approved budget. “We wish we could do more, but the state budget cuts were too deep for the county to replace those dollars entirely, for ….CMS….”
5. CMS (on Wednesday – day after budget vote): Oh, by the way – we aren’t going to fire anyone – that $26 million will cover everything. Our Bad. No take backs!
To be fair, the school board on Wednesday still voted to cut 255 teachers positions, to include those with short-term, expiring contracts, and about 127 with performance or licensure issues. Those positions were likely on the chopping block, funding woes or not.
But after learning the projected cuts from the state would likely be in line with $40 million instead of the previously projected $70 million, essentially freeing up an extra $30 million, the school board voted to restore about 570 positions that were under the knife in the budget: 260 as part of increased class sizes; 146 under a shift in the district’s weighted student staffing, which provides additional teachers to low-income, low-performing schools; and 164 education support positions, to include librarians, guidance counselors and facilitators.
District officials couldn’t confirm whether the, ahem, unexpected $30 million in funding from the state would be enough to save teacher assistant positions slated to be cut, or to avert a $10.4 million cut to the Bright Beginnings pre-K program. But it’s interesting to note that the math of an additional $26 million from the county and $30 million from the state lines up nicely with almost exactly what CMS said it needed to salvage those programs and positions.
Surprise.
UPDATE: The Mecklenburg County GOP called today for county commissioners to go back to the drawing and produce a revenue-neutral budget, in the wake of learning that CMS landed a windfall from the state. From the MeckGOP release:
Given the actual level of state funding for CMS, Mecklenburg County Commissioners could have passed a No-Tax-Increase Revenue Neutral Budget that sufficiently funded CMS if they had been informed of the true numbers.
MeckGOP Chairman Gideon Moore stated, “In the midst of a prolonged recession, now is not the time to raise taxes on Mecklenburg County residents and businesses. Now that Mecklenburg County Commissioners are aware of the true amount of state funding for CMS, all elected officials should take all necessary action to revisit this tax increase and pass a revenue-neutral budget that provides for CMS’s true needs and creates the lower-tax environment necessary to bring jobs back to Mecklenburg County.”
MeckGOP Vice-Chairwoman Patricia Murray added, “I am deeply concerned about the possibility that our elected leaders were misled by CMS Staff. Now all taxpayers are going to have to pay for CMS misleading our commissioners. If these actions are found to have been intentional, then those responsible for the misrepresentations should be dismissed immediately.”
Interesting. Be curious to see if this gets any traction from the local MSM and, more importantly, the county board’s Democrat majority. Or will they all be willing to play along as CMS suckers and leave the taxpayers holding the bag?
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