K-12 diet tips for government

Social Services  Transportation  K-12  Higher Education Local Government  Budget & Taxes  Health Care Audit Reports  Complete List  Success Stories How can we make sure dollars are going to students, and not to the waste-line? Try these for starters: Learn to communicate in Shoreline schools The Shoreline School District is dealing with a $7.2 million deficit brought on by what district officials call "miscommunication" and "accounting errors"...more Quit ripping off students The Seattle School District recently discovered a $34 million budget deficit, and staffers knew about some of the key elements for over a year. Now they're letting the man who oversaw the mess stick around to clean it up...more If you're gonna pay, you better say The Mukilteo School Board gave Gary Toothaker $320,000 to resign as Superintendent, but they're not telling us the whole story...more

The rest of the story . . .

"Miscommunication" means $7.2 million deficit in Shoreline schools posted on 1/31/03 - WW23 The Shoreline School District is dealing with a $7.2 million deficit brought on by what district officials call "miscommunication" and "accounting errors." Shoreline schools spokeswoman Marjorie Ledell explained the problem in a November Seattle PI article: "It was discovered that there were more expenditures that would need to be made than were planned on." The "forgotten" expenses—including $5.3 million in salary supplements and $1.9 million allocated for class size reduction—account for 10 percent of the district's 2002-03 budget. To address the deficit, school officials are cutting spending for materials and supplies like paper, standardized tests, computer parts, postage, publications, vehicle and copier repair. They're also turning off lights in empty rooms and putting heaters on timers to save energy costs. This isn't the first time the district has come up short. In 2000-01 officials borrowed $1.5 million from a school construction fund to meet an operations shortfall. Shoreline Superintendent Jim Welsh can be reached at 206.361.4203. top   Seattle "discovers" $34 million budget deficit posted on 12/18/02 - WW05 If a manager at Starbucks was responsible for $34 million in overspending, would his bosses tell the stockholders that he was still the best man to manage their investment? Then how is Joseph Olchefske the best man to fix the Seattle School District's newly discovered $34 million deficit? He's the same guy who watched the red ink puddle up around him for years. The same guy who fired principals and puts kids in summer school because he demanded accountability. But now that he's failed as a supervisor, is he willing to meet his own standards? And even more important, can the School Board explain to us why he's still the best man for the job? Why is Olchefske still their pick to manage our investment in the Seattle public schools? 12/19/02: The Seattle School District hired an independent auditor, Seattle-based Moss Adams Advisory Services, to investigate the cause of the $34 million deficit and recommend ideas to avoid similar mistakes. The $200,000 audit will start in January and take about 10 weeks. EFF will be very interested to see how Moss Adams handles this task. The School Board also appointed a 15-member Fiscal Integrity Committee that will review the audit conclusions and report to the board by April 1. District administrators also reported that $10.5 million has been trimmed from the projected $12 million budget gap for the 2002-03 fiscal year. Email the Seattle School Board at rtaylor@seattleschools.org or call the district office at 206-252-0040. You can also click here to visit the School Board website and find additional contact information for individual board members. top   Superintendent gets bought out for $320,000 posted on 12/18/02 - WW03 Just a few weeks ago, the Mukilteo School Board handed Gary Toothaker $320,000 to walk away from his position as Superintendent because he was romantically involved with the principal from Mariner High School, an employee within the district he supervises. Not a bad deal for Toothaker, he gets the girl and the cash. But it sounds like a bad deal for us. School Board officials signed an agreement saying they won't make "disparaging comments" about Toothaker. Basically, they can't discuss the matter with the same public that's paying Toothaker's buyout. Money isn't even the real issue; employee buyouts are often very effective. The problem is a lack of public accountability. The school board might have a few good reasons for paying a man of questionable character that much money to leave. But we have a right to know about these reasons when officials are up for re-election. Public officials shouldn't be allowed to spend our hard-earned money without telling us the whole story. Email School Board President Geoff Short at ShortGW@mukilteo.wednet.edu or call 425-710-4420. You can also click here to visit the Mukilteo Board of Directors website and find additional contact information for individual board members. top

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