Michelle Monte: Financial Considerations

Financial considerations, or lack of, are what put us in the position of needing to restructure. The whole point of the long-range facilities plan is to make our district more efficient and to address the long put-off needs of our buildings. This process should be an opportunity to try to save money wherever we can. We should also be planning for future increases in expenses. Savings are not there to any significant degree and future spending is not being addressed at all.

I look at finances in simple terms like a checkbook. You just don't write checks your account cannot cover. We are looking at $32 million in construction costs with a total referendum of $45.6 million. We are expecting to save $1.5 million in operational savings. We are closing six buildings, and not the six most expensive in repairs and operational expenses, and adding on over 100 classrooms. For perspective consider that Traeger Elementary, just the elementary, has about 25 classrooms for a capacity of 552 students.

What savings are we going to realize by closing buildings and, essentially, building seven new and larger ones between deferred maintenance, ADA, functional issues, additions, and remodels? Enough to pay back the referendum in about 50 to 60 years IF we have no other major expenses in the next 50 to 60 years. That does not make sound financial sense, especially when we could close fewer buildings, repair the remaining buildings, and adjust boundaries for much less and realize a greater savings by minimizing our construction costs and transportation costs, and maximizing the utilization of our buildings.

Ensuring we have equitable resources in every building should be our focus. When every building is well maintained and each student and teacher has what they need, education flourishes and our children flourish. It doesn't matter when a building was built, historical societies all over the country care for active buildings far older than ours. The difference is that they take care of them. Our schools, like our children, are an investment. When taken care of, they will service our children for decades. That is a wise investment. That is the kind of spending that makes sense.