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School Construction Funds Rejected -- Commission Deadlocks Over Concern About Debt

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 12:01 CST

By Michael Erskine erskine@commercialappealcom

A Shelby County Commission proposal to give more than $10 million in "emergency" construction funding to the city and county school districts was defeated Monday after commissioners deadlocked in a 6- 6 vote.

Concerns over borrowing the money to pay for the capital expenses, combined with questions about whether the county school system could pay for a school expansion out of reserves, doomed the plan.

Commissioner David Lillard had proposed to give the county school system $3 million for a permanent addition to Highland Oaks Elementary, which has 19 portable classrooms on its campus, to help relieve crowding in the southeast part of the county.

In turn, the city system would have gotten about $7.5 million, its share of funds based on the state-mandated average daily attendance funding formula. No explanation was provided about what specific projects would be paid for with the city's funds.

The funds would have been an addition to the current school funding arrangement, which calls for more than $150 million from the county for city and county schools in the current fiscal year.

Lillard said he had introduced the proposal in hopes of reducing the time the county system used a vacant Schnucks grocery store as a temporary school.

The county's needs assessment committee, an advisory panel created to make recommendations on school spending, recently endorsed the emergency funding for schools.

But Commissioner Bruce Thompson said there was more than enough money in the rainy day account of the county school system to pay for the expansion without county government having to borrow money.

County school officials said they have about $24 million in reserves, part of which would have to help cover an anticipated operating deficit for the coming fiscal year.

Thompson also noted the Highland Oaks project wasn't even included in the school system's five-year capital plan. "Now it's an emergency?"

Commissioner Deidre Malone said the funds were just a Band-Aid, but said they were still critically needed by both school systems. Malone urged her colleagues to vote for the new money "if you care anything about children."

Meanwhile, Mayor A C Wharton strongly opposed the proposal, saying the county would have to renege on promises made to its creditors to stay within a plan to reduce the county's $1.7 billion debt.

Wharton said the county simply could not afford to borrow the money to pay for the school allocation, but said later he would try to find a way to pay for the school improvements.

"There ought to be a way that we can stay within our debt plan and meet this need," he said.

Voting in favor of the school funding proposal were Lillard, Malone, Walter Bailey, Michael Hooks, Cleo Kirk and Joe Ford. Voting against it were Thompson, Marilyn Loeffel, George Flinn, John Willingham, Joyce Avery and Tom Moss.

Commissioner Julian Bolton was absent for the vote.

- Michael Erskine: 529-5857

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SPECIAL MEETING

School board districts at issue

A change in the district boundaries for the Shelby County school board will be debated Wednesday by the County Commission, just a week before the qualifying deadline for school board candidates.

Details

County Atty. Brian Kuhn says the current boundary lines, which were adopted in 2004, are illegal because there are three "split precincts" where districts overlap.

Commissioner Walter Bailey has introduced a redistricting plan that would have incumbent school board members David Pickler and Ernest Chism battling for the same seat.

The plan would open up the school board's District 7 seat, which Bailey said he would like to see filled by an African American because the board is now all white. Bailey said the county cannot legally devise a plan based on race.

Pickler said Bailey was trying to further a political agenda to influence the racial makeup of the board. "I'm indeed troubled by a gerrymandering of the districts in order to achieve a racial result," Pickler said.

The plan was set for debate Monday but deferred to a special meeting because of time constraints. The deadline to qualify for the school board race is April 6. Four board seats - the odd-numbered districts - are on the August ballot.

- Michael Erskine

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Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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