News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
High school Principal Bob Macauley won approval Monday night, October 13, to spend an additional $210,000 to purchase equipment for the new Sisters High School.
The district has already spent approximately $630,000 allocated to fund Furnishings Fixtures and Equipment (FFE). The district is expecting reimbursement for part of its FFE expenditures through a state grant program.
However, the estimated state funding, which is based on a percentage of overall construction costs has fluctuated and Superintendent Lynn Baker said he has been unable to pin the state down on how much the state will pay.
According to Baker, the current commitment is for $550,000. The school district has a line of credit for $840,000 based on an earlier estimate of $880,000 in state FFE funds. Proceeds from the sale of the district's Lundgren Mill property may be used to supplement state-reimbursed FFE funds as well as for maintenance on other buildings.
In a 3-2 vote, the board approved spending up to that $840,000 limit. The $210,000 allowed to Macauley was derived by subtracting the $630,000 already spent from the $840,000 cap.
That vote, along with the split decision on allowing Macauley to determine which items the school will select from a tiered list of FFE items revealed a philosophical fault line on the board.
Eric Dolson (publisher of The Nugget), wanted the board to scrutinize the list and set priorities. Jeff Smith was hesitant to spend more than the state reimbursement guarantees (currently $550,000).
Glen Lasken, Tom Coffield and Bill Reed are comfortable that the Lundgren Mill proceeds will cover any funding gap and wanted to leave the details to Macauley and his staff.
Dolson argued that while Macauley and his staff did a good job compiling a realistic list of needs, it is still the board's job to set funding priorities.
"I think it still comes down to spending priorities and I'm not comfortable with saying 'it's your money,'" Dolson said.
He argued that the board should go through the items on the tiered FFE list and decide where money should be spent.
"I see not doing that as an abdication of our responsibility," he said.
Coffield disagreed, arguing that staff knows best what they need.
"I see it (reviewing the list) a different way," he said. "I see it as micromanaging."
With the $210,000 he was authorized to spend Monday night, Macauley will purchase items ranging from front office supplies to fitness and science equipment.
The board also authorized purchase and installation of LCD (liquid crystal display screens) in classrooms, although they were not officially part of the FFE list. The LCD screens carry a total cost, including extensive installation work of approximately $100,000.
They replace overhead projectors and allow materials to be presented from a computer to a large screen.
Sisters resident Mike Gould, sitting in the audience, recommended that the district look into flat-screen liquid plasma TV screens for the same application.
He believes they may be more flexible in use and comparable in cost if bought in bulk.
Macauley assured the board that he was "not looking for a free ride. I'm not looking for something for nothing."
He said he has aggressively sought grants and done fund-raising to secure equipment and he will continue to do so.
The district may spend more lower-tiered items once proceeds start coming in from the sale of the Lundgren Mill property.
However, Principal Tim Comfort reminded the board that Lundgren Mill proceeds are also authorized to go to other buildings and that if they're all spent on high school FFE, there won't be anything left for the elementary and middle schools.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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