Dysfunctional, Dependent District (Feb. 14, 2011)

Monday, February 14, 2011

District Office

Horry County Schools

Conway, S.C.

Members of the Board:

Given the tremendously difficult economic situation with which you were faced, and considering the pressure of time constraints in trying to examine an enormously complex web of district practices, I would like to thank you for exercising much wisdom in your last vote on significant preliminary budgetary issues.  You honored the principle of “warm bodies over cold machines” and protected many teacher positions.  Lower student-teacher ratios will make a huge impact on student learning and will help to protect the essence of education – the teacher-student relationship.  Difficult decisions still await you, however, and I would like to suggest your consideration of the following before final decisions in June. 

In the absence of the district clearly laying out the costs of major programs, practices, and initiatives and failing to supply sufficient anecdotal and statistical data for proper evaluative purposes, I encourage you to do what I have been doing and study district operations on your own time.  When the district administration brings you a proposed budget, I, as a constituent, citizen, and voter, expect you to be highly conversant in every aspect. 

Focus on the last school year and finalized figures.  After a thorough reading and study of the Official Budget (2009-2010) and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2010), answer the following:  To what extent and in what ways did we over budget and under budget?  This should be done in conjunction with a study of the reports for each department.  How effective were we?  Would you make any suggestions for improvement?

I would like to thank the district for making department reports available to me and suggest that all citizens be given access online, as well.  What is most disturbing, however, is the lack of public interest.  When I first inquired about the costs of major programs last October, our Chief Financial Officer told me that in all the years in his position that there had been only one inquiry into data I was pursuing.  Does the public not care, or is the public counting on you, their representatives, to effectively monitor how their money is spent?   If you do not know the costs of this or that and have not determined relative value in terms of results and desirability, then the public is at the mercy of the district administration which has the authority to act, make decisions, and function as it pleases, with no effective checks and balances.

This, in essence, is the heart of the problem.  Although we are an outstanding school district, I told Dr. Elsberry recently that we were dysfunctional. I mean that sincerely.  Just as we Americans achieved much under the rule of Great Britain, we came to realize we were dysfunctional and how much better we could be.  Crown decisions made without the consent of the governed and viable authority from the masses were highly resented and retarded our growth.  “We the People” wanted our fundamental rights.  A long train of abuses made us realize that the system had to be changed.  Such is the case now under Coherent Governance with district policy being made or removed at the whims of the Superintendent and operational decisions with respect to curriculum and finance dictated through personal philosophies and national trends.  The public, including teachers, only has superficial input.  Even the Board of Education is largely out of the loop, trying as it may through executive limitations to limit the authority of the Superintendent and to exercise appropriate oversight.

Please take us back to traditional governance and give us our fundamental rights to allow us the chance to exercise our appropriate responsibilities as citizens and teachers of the great independent republic of Horry.   

Sincerely yours,

Bobby Chandler

722 Pine Drive

Surfside Beach, S.C.   29575