John, I did mention to my source that there was a question from you, and directed that person to your post.  I have not pushed for any additional information.  I suggest you take it up at Board meetings. To me it sounds like you are looking for a problem that may or may not exist. There are tools available to you to research this, and I would hope that you would avoid any accusations of wrongdoing till you know that such a state exists and you can demonstrate it.

Pat

That is what concerns me.  It appears that you’ve essentially been given bogus information from someone from within the schools who I fear either doesn’t understand the rules of E*rate, or is purposely misrepresenting them.  I do believe what I posted is very accurate information. 

You had mentioned in your original email that you were going to do a little follow up.  Have you?  I’m less interested in “gotcha politics” with you than I am in ensuring the schools doesn’t continue to misinform the public on the accounting principles of various government programs. Which I strongly believe they are doing here.  I would feel better if the individual who provide you that information did a little homework on their own, educated themselves on the program, and relayed to you that indeed the cost do not, nor should not be allocated to only Instruction for E*rate purposes. 

My other fear is that the schools potentially have made the same mistake the county has made with regards to outsourcing.  Often schools use “consultants’ to file their Erate 470s/471s.  The question is (1) do they hire a consultant for this task (like the county contracted out their book keeping to the same accountant for years), (2) do they in-sourced the task (i.e. make it the responsibility of a school official to learn the material, do it themselves, and eliminate the consultant fees), or (3) have they at least switched consultants over the years in order to provide a different set of eyes. 

Now, your probably asking “what is the big deal”?  Well, it comes down to comparing our educational costs to those of other counties.  If we continue to pile non Instruction costs into our Instruction budget, it mis-represents how much we are spending per child on Instruction costs…and in this case it also mis-represents the amount of administrative “overhead” we have within the schools.  You see, that was one of the big issues of last year’s budget battle.  If a large percentage of these cell phones are allocated to administrators, or building operations, or transportation, they need to be moved to those budget categories.

Furthermore, if cell phone costs are being included and claimed under ERate, and those phones are being used off campus for non appropriate means (and appropriate allocation means are not being used to capture the various uses so they can be “partially claimed”) our school’s misunderstanding of the rules could put them in serious trouble.

John,

I wrote a detailed post on Friday responding to several issues and somehow entered the security word wrong and it deleted the whole thing and I was too busy to do it over again.  So let me say briefly that this is what I was told:

“At one time telephone costs were in Maintenance and Operations and costs for telecommunications were in Instruction.  THEN, the state required that a Technology Category be created and costs related to broadband, wireless, routers, servers, etc. were moved to the new Technology category.  Telephones remained in the Instruction category.  Equipment leases, repairs,  equipment purchases are made from both.  Bottom line stays the same regardless of which category, and right now the lines between Instruction, Maintenance and Operations, and Technology overlap in the telecommunications area.  As a sidenote - we received over $28,000 last year in E-Rate payments used to offset telecommunications costs. E-Rate funds can be used ONLY for instruction, thus we have to keep costs in instruction in order to qualify for E-Rate.”

I noted the amount of the E-Rate payment and the amount of the cell phone bill and realized that they canceled each other out.  My comment referring to “intelligent accounting” was probably a poor choice of words.

This is the sum total of my knowledge on this issue.

Mr Gannon, were you able to follow up on your telecom research regarding the school’s use of the E*Rate program, and if so, what did you find?  I’m interested in finding out if my understanding of the program is correct. 

FWIW, I believe a few cell phones are appropriate, however there are a number of folks on that list that clearly have no business having a cell phone for “safety” reasons.  Many of the folks on that list spend their days in the Administrative building.  Once you take the “safety” issue off the table, I don’t see these being necessary for “educational” purposes either.  These folks all have PCs.  Regarding the phone type, those iPhones deployed in the hands of administrators are toys, not educational tools, and there is a big difference between the two.  Furthermore, there are many low usage cell phone plans that can be purchased for emergency situations.  My wife has a phone which is for emergency use only.  I think we pay $30 for three months.  No data, text is usage based, voice is flat rate with very minimal usage.

In reality, this phone issue may not seem like much, but in reality it is all about perception.  The school with their inability to cut toys like iPhones from the budget, project an image to the public (those with kids, and without kids in the school)that they are incapable of determining what is fiscally important, and what is not.  Cell phones and cell phone plans are something all taxpaying citizens can understand, as every family deals with exactly this issue..  Most don’t understand ERate, NCLB, Title 1, or special education requirements.  But they do understand cell phones, plans, and they do make personal decisions on when to provide their kids with a phone, and which phone and plan they provide to then.  When the schools keep these status toys,  (a) they set a poor example in challenging financial times and (b) more importantly, they make it harder for themselves to defend not being able to cut in other heavily funded aspects of the business in which people are less educated (and given the school leaderships poor communications with educating the public in these matters, they do themselves little favors here). When they go to the BOS and ask for an increase in funding, and they expect parents of children (taxpayers) and non parents of children (taxpayers) to support their budget, they need to have the full confidence of the taxpaying public that they are being smart with their use of the people’s money.  That is one of the principle duties of the school leadership, and issues like this undermine the public’s confidence in the schools fiscal decision making aptitude.

What I objected to was the way Jane’s LTE was designed to evoke emotion and anger at an individual without making any substantiated charges.  Is there any doubt that she wants Ms Underwood gone? From the http://goochlandparents.blogspot.com/ site:

“Jane Christie, a parent of children in Goochland schools and Vice Chair of GEPA, shared information on what recourse citizens have in regards to the school superintendent. Section 22.1-65 of the Code of Virginia provides that a Superintendent can be fined, suspended from office for a limited period or removed from office by either the Board of Education (VDOE), upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools (Dr. Patricia Wright), or by the school board for sufficient cause. GEPA is collecting a list of issues/grievances with superintendent Underwood to share at the July 6th Board of Supervisors meeting and with the VDOE.”

Jane is apparently digging for grievances that she can use to cut short Ms Underwood’s career. Since that is her goal, she should be honest about it.  I felt that she was not being fair or honest in the way she was going about it.  I have not been convinced that my perception was incorrect.

The fees are a non-issue.  The cellphones are certainly a subject worthy of additional discussion. 

Pat

I am so very thrilled to see that we have increased the interest in local affairs, and that through a bunch of comments we have reached a level of civility despite the differing opinions.
I feel compelled to jump in, as my name was used in this thread of comments.

As opinions go, there are as many as we have citizens. Sometimes they coincide (remarkably), but most often they vary, even if only slightly.

I have spent a great deal of time attending meetings and workshops, doing independent research, making public comments, and biting my tongue. I feel that all of these actions are in the best interest of my family and my community, though I readily admit that some will disagree. I look forward to this disagreement, for it is the way in which I learn and grow as a person.

I do think (back on subject) that schools should have people on site with cell phones, in the event of a power failure coinciding with an emergency. However, I don’t see the need for the purchase of costly iPhones, or the higher usage fees that accompany them. I sat through the presentation the school system’s John Hendron on how the phones would be used in conjuction with other internet resources to help teachers obtain continuing education credits. I remember thinking at the time that this training was possible through the computers already sitting on the teachers desks (after all, there was only a limited number of phones purchased). I was also at other meetings where statements were made by administrators that these methods weren’t being utilized and didn’t suit the needs of the teachers who were intended to benefit from these practices, and therefore more traditional continuing education methods would be prioritized (later meetings regarding schedule making and the inputs for those decisions).

I also believe that Mr. Gannon received his information, and repeated it accurately, from high level school administrators. Unless he was inaccurately repeating the information, in the light of detailed information posted above by John from Manakin, it would seem that the school system could be in danger of retribution for not following the guidelines and rules of the funding they have received for the services. I certainly hope that is not the case, as the county can clearly not afford the penalties.

Jane Christie was at all of these same meetings. I know, I saw her there. She may not have given the readers of the Gazette the full background behind her FOIA request, or the comments she made after receiving the information requested. However, I feel there was ample basis for her opinion that the phone costs were both excessive (iPhones vs. cell) and unnecessary (stated function had been marginalized). To me, these phones and the cost of the data services, was and is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a perk for those who have them.

Mrs. Christie’s statement about her family fees, I would like to point out, could simply be a function of the high school’s relatively new AP class structure, or the grade level of her children, or the activities that they chose to participate in. She, like the rest of us, may find herself having to make decisions that may have seemed pedestrian a few years ago.Attacking her statement, is misguided and unnecessary. She spoke only of her own household budget.

I will continue to attend meetings and make suggestions. I will also continue to speak out when I disagree with decisions being made. As Mr. Gannon pointed out, when no one offers opinions, it is a rubber stamping of the decisions being made, even if only by default. I encourage anyone and everyone to join me in these meetings. I look forward to the discussion that will certainly follow. We ALL will be better for it.

I’m sad to hear Java Jodi’s closed too. People are spending less on optional expenses lately, so lots of businesses are losing money, or barely breaking even.

We really should try to keep Goochland going strong by buying locally whenever possible. It might cost a little more, but it saves a drive into Richmond. Remember that driving is expensive. It really does cost 20 to 50 cents per mile, when you add up gas, maintenance, and depreciation.

Also, we might need to raise property taxes now, despite the protests. If that hurts poorer homeowners, exempt the first $30,000 of property value for each house, or something similar. I don’t mind paying taxes if the funds are used wisely.

So, read what Dr. N. C. Parrish wrote again.

Michael,

It’s late and I’m tired, so I offer these observations in hopes that my brain is still operating with some useful measure of competence…

1) We’ve seen the audit and evidence of incompetence and neglect, if not malfeasance on one side of the local government, but I don’t believe we’ve seen that same evidence regarding the School Board and Administration.  I’ve read the news, and I see no evidence thus far that labels anyone as mean, immoral or wicked (i.e. a scoundrel), not to mention having broken any laws.  Evidence apparently exists that there were scoundrels in the other issue you are attempting to equate this with. I do not view them as similar events.  If you believe a tie exists, perhaps you could elucidate.  All I see in your note is that having been seated in attendance in meetings of both boards, it is your ‘feeling’ (my word, not yours) that there are similarities, and therefore an assumption must be made that the school side of the house is also corrupt.  That’s it?  This is all based on your feeling?  You’re prepared to call someone a “cancer” based on a feeling?

Keep digging for that evidence, and if you find it, I’ll join you in voting out those who support incompetence, meanness, immorality or wickedness! But be fair in the way you do so.  Don’t cast aspersions without laying down your evidence.  A dose of civility can go a long way too - not that I’m always a master of that myself.

2) I’m not sure how to take your comment about Morgan, but he and Underwood were a team as I understand it.  Are you accusing him of malfeasance? Or perhaps she cooked the books while he abandoned his oversight duties to run around and schmooze with everyone?  What are you suggesting, and what do you have to back it up?

3) If you want Underwood out, run for School Board or champion someone else and get her removed through the proper channels by appointing a new Supervisor when we have a new board.  Why attack her personally?  What’s to be gained?  Are you trying to have her impeached?  What’s your goal?  What evidence of wrongdoing do you have to justify this?  I’ve seen nothing in the papers that would justify running her out, just because you don’t agree with all the difficult decisions she makes.  What’s your personal beef?  You obviously have one.  You call someone a cancer? That’s cold.  She’s a human being who chose a profession that serves others. I don’t know how competent she is, but every human deserves to be treated fairly and the way you would want to be treated yourself.  I thought you agreed that we are all ONE. You don’t call yourself a cancer.  In the absence of a real life scandal, she’s not going anywhere, so get over it and look at the long term. Keep offering constructive solutions.  Be patient.  Rome wasn’t built in a day. 

4) My LTE was about fairness and civility - or at least it was supposed to be. Calling someone a cancer is, well… it’s childish.  If it’s true, then prove this statement of yours with real evidence:

“Although referring to Goochland’s Board of Supervisors, the same “scoundrel” label can be aptly applied to Goochland’s School Board and Administration. “

Mean, immoral and/or wicked.  Let’s hear some concrete evidence that these charges are true.  I’m not close to being convinced and I think most of my fellow citizens agree that we need to tone down the rhetoric and work together more peacefully. I absolutely applaud your participation in the process, but what’s that old saying about flies, honey and vinegar?

Pat

Dear Pat -

  I apologize for “fat-fingering” your name as Gammom instead of Gannon, but as I mentioned previously, at least you, Richard, Jane and John (Wright, I hope?) and myself are using our names. Even though you misspelled Jane’s last name possessive above as Christy’s instead of Christie’s, you are hardly a scoundrel! As you say, “I’m better on paper than I am at a podium,” Well, I’m better in my mind than on the keyboard…

  The Gazette’s editor used the word scoundrel in a recent editorial describing our Board of Supervisors recent activities.  No one chastised her for “name calling” or not acting “civilly.” 

  Au contraire, mon frère, Douglass Adair commented, “What an outstanding article, it is now up to the Citizens of Goochland to standup and demand that the Board of Supervisors be held accountable for their malfeasance dating back more than 12 years.

  There needs to be a FULL ACCOUNTING of all involved in this gross mismanagement of the Citizens funds in the past, now and in the future, it will take generations to pay for this.”

  Richard Saunders commented further, “This is one of the finest editorial columns that I ever seen you write Amy. Thank you for your clarity.

  Now that we have some exposure, we need accountability for the previous actions taken.”

  I have been attending both our Board of Supervisors and School Board meetings regularly since early this year, and will continue to do so.  Based on my attendance, strong similarities exist between both board’s personal and collective behaviors. 

  You are absolutely and stunningly correct in your Dr. Morgan assessment, however, we must agree to disagree on Underwood.  She is a cancer that needs to be removed!  Again, I base this on much long term personal observation and extensive “high level” information I have.

  Our hard earned tax dollars are being squandered.  As I stated above, “Those (including myself) criticizing our county’s current elected leadership, both Supervisors and School Board, have provided many experienced solutions to the plethora of issues facing us.  For the most part, these suggestions have fallen on deaf ears.”

  Yes, I’m angry and frustrated, and will continue exercising our First Amendment rights, and want to affirm you for doing the same.

  Hope to see you and Richard at September’s meetings…

  Cheers,

—-Michael

I must say it’s more interesting stealing time from work to chat on this blog rather than to actually be productive this afternoon!

Dear Jane,

Sorry for the confusion with regard to the term “massive” fee increases.  That was the language in your original letter that Sandie distributed.  You removed that word in your LTE for the GG.  I’m glad you did so.  I did not refer to the word “massive” in my LTE, although I did so in a post above.

I’m sorry, but I still have problems with the big fee increases that you mention for your family.  I’m sure that I paid all those same fees for my son.  I will admit that he took Adventure Games at the reduced rate and that he also participated in the Band at the reduced rate - but you know what, the kid probably eats that much in food every day.  He didn’t have to take band or Adventure Games.  So I just don’t see where the fees are a big deal when I put them in perspective.  If they are, then apply for assistance.

My information could be wrong, but I was informed at a high level that there were no other fee increases. If this information is incorrect, please say so and provide some evidence.

And I stand by what I said above.  You insinuated that the Administration was doing something bad with the cell phone charges - but you never said what that was, nor did you use the information you were provided with (which was attached to the letter Sandie distributed) to make any of your points.

I’m sorry I hurt your feelings and I acknowledge that with a little more wordsmithing I could have softened my LTE.  I’m just saying - try to think of a way to offer solutions instead of criticism - and if you do have to criticize, then use your sources to back up your charges. I believe that makes for a more civil discourse. I know that what you really want, like all of us, is to have the best possible education for our kids.  Let’s also show the kids by example that we can work together in a cooperative fashion to solve our problems. 

Pat