jefmelch Anonymous

Thirty five citizens attended the first Town Hall session, April 25th, at the High School. That includes some of the staff and the minor -- non-voting -- children and teens in attendance.

It's to be hoped that by publicizing the later events in Pegasus News, more voters and citizens will attend.

The format is somewhat tedious. Listening for an entire hour to one presenter backed by a Power Point presentation of text-only slides demands more committment from the audience than more multi-media; interactive formats. However, at the end of the hour the presenter -- at the High School, that was Superintendent Lewis -- did field questions from the audience.

Questions included: Why don't senior district officials return phone calls? Why are high school students offered extra academic credit for providing their teachers ink jet cartridges and reams of paper? How many teachers were assaulted last year? Since we know Cedar Valley Community College kids abuse laptop computers during class -- the questioner began -- how can the high school keep younger students from similar abuse of laptops? How come the cheerleaders have to buy their own uniforms? Are the proposed buses and vehicle service center intended for the support of extra-curricular "field trips" or transportation to-and-from class?

All in all the 2nd hour, question and anwer segment of the meeting, was the more interesting for the die-hards who remained thru the entire thing. Citizens are urged to attend the upcoming elementary site meetings as well.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

jefmelch Anonymous

Hi Mike,

Two separate parents agreed that their children had been offered "extra credit" in exchange for the contribution of supplies.

Superintendent Lewis reported he had not heard of, and certainly had not authorized, such an offer. He did make extensive remarks regarding how the high school, like all his schools, is on a highly controlled budget which includes a set number of reams of paper per week, a set number of toner cartridges etc. Dr Lewis also emphasized that these constraints were good not only for controlling expenses, but to prevent teachers from simply handing out copies of worksheets for in-class drills rather than more interactive teaching.

The problems of micro-managing the copier counters by day at the classroom level while mis-coding millions for months at the headquarters level were only addressed with reference to the auditors' letter assuring the public that theft was, so far, not evident as a cause of the district's financial problems. "No instances of suspected theft" is the phrase of the week.

Nathan Smith, notwithstanding.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

estherspeaks Anonymous

During the town meeting, the question was asked how many teacher assaults have happened this year by students. The questioner was a staff memeber in LISD. She was reprimanded by Lewis because she asked the question in a public forum. What the superintendent did not seem to care about was not only does Ms. Wade work for the district but she is also a district taxpayer. The superintendent's answer to the question was there had only been one assault this year that he knew of at the high school. Either the superintendent has not been given correct information, or he has not taken the time to discover the truth for himself.

At least six occurrences of assault have happened this year. A scence teacher was hit in the eye, students from an entire class threw calculators at an Algebra teacher ressulting in her resignation, another Math teacher had toys cars, paper wads, and many other objects thrown at him, a reading teacher had to be home for months due to students hurting her arm and resulting in major injury, several teachers were hit during a major disturbance with a student as he hit another science teacher in the hallway. Many teachers have already turned in their resignations as they are afraid to continue to work in the school or many will be turning in their resignations as soon as they can find other employment.

Many will ask what does this have to do the bond. First, if the superintendent will not tell the truth about the events that happen at the campuses on a daily basis, why would one think he would tell the truth about how money is to be spent from tax dollars. Secondly, if staff is being intimidated from speaking and asking legitimate qustions in an open forum meeting, then it is indicative of how this superintendent controls the district-intimidation and fear. Many of the same people that he wants to vote for the bond are the same people who are being berated for having a difference of opinion. As he has said in many faculty meetings, "I know what you do and to whom you speak and I watch everything you do." A good leader leads by example and this is not the example we want for our children nor for our community. Let the Board of Trustees know through your vote that we need a trustworthy superintendent before we will trust him with anymore bond money.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Chestertonian Anonymous

Not every educator is cut out to manage people, resources and finances. Those who are may not always achieve success throughout their careers. It is, however, the honest and wise administrator who walks circumspectly and asks the hard questions of himself. When he cannot manage well, he owes it to staff, students, parents, community, and himself to come to terms with reality. Attempting to create his own reality by hiding actual reality is confusing and destructive to all concerned. He doesn't want to be the emperor who found out much too late that he had no clothes.

The idea that man defines himself and his world in his own subjectivity, shunning absolutes, ultimately brings chaos, the kind of chaos that, according to estherspeaks, occurs in some Lancaster classrooms.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

jefmelch Anonymous

The second Town Hall meeting of Wednesday May 2nd went much more quickly than last week's show. Assistant Superintendent Eugene Young presented, speeding thru the District's powerpoint presentation in half the time of Dr Lewis's efforts the previous week. (Dr Lewis himself joined the meeting about 45 minutes after the begining, having driven in thru the blinding rain from a Region Ten conference of Superintendents.)

Proceedings were also accelerated by ground rules establishing that questions from the audience would only be accepted if they pertained to the upcoming bond. General concerns regarding callbacks, supplies-for-grades, teacher morale, etc would be discussed in separate, later, venues, according to Mr Young.

School police officer Thorne presided as sergeant-at-arms, preventing citizens from addressing one another inside the building, either during or after the meeting. Exceptions were arranged for city councilmembers C.R. "Dick" Headen and James Daniels, and PAC/Foundation Treasurer Ellen Clark. Mr Headen, who in addition to his duties to Lancaster city council serves as special assistant to Superintendent Lewis, may be chagrined to learn that referring to him by his chosen name "Dick Headen" draws some ire from parents of young children advising the speaker to "Watch your mouth!"

The rains slowed some arrivals, besides Dr Lewis's. The revised production drew an audience of about 8 LISD staff members, 2 polticians, 22 children and 22 adult/parent/voters.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

queensheeba Anonymous

I am really sad that I missed the 2nd Town Hall meeting. The storm that came thru seemed like a warning to me. Was someone up above trying to let Dr. Lewis know that honest people tell the WHOLE TRUTH?

Dr.LL another bit of truth is that for years teachers have asked students for supplies for their classrooms for a grade. This is what happens when districts have to CUT BUDGETS to make up for monies because of... no instances of "suspected theft, misappropriation of assets or funds,or mismanagement of school funds" has happened. When you have to cut classroom budgets how can you say "CHILDREN FIRST!" Another thought... how can this district say that it puts around 70% into the classroom when it has to cut and or freeze the budget to make up for bad accounting practices?

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

jefmelch Anonymous

Sheba, let's be fair. LISD had deep financial difficulties before Dr Lewis got here. Just ask him.

One difficulty, documented in the 2003 audit --back when the district at least completed embarrassing itself on the statutory schedule -- was that restricted bond funds (from the 1985 bond) had been applied to general fund obligations. Again, this happened BEFORE Dr Lewis ever got here. The question is, how much improved are the financial internal controls that might prevent this from happening again. The old superintendent apparently was able to keep the Board of Trustees clueless about the true use of Bond funds. Have the Trustees, most of whom were on that 2003 board, learned how to keep a superintedent honest?

Before Dr Lewis got here, he tells us, the district had millions of dollars of deferred maintenance hanging over its head. The old superintendent was able to deceive the Trustees about the state of the infrastructure. What internal controls has the Board put in place to keep from being deceived again by this, or any other, superintendent?

When Dr Lewis got to Lancaster, he says, the Board was so confused over their own finances they believed their fund balance was in the red. The first major accomplishment of the Lewis administration was a "debt consolidation loan" over several years to give the district some wiggle room, or a "cushion", in the fund balance. The Legislative Budget Board recommended in 2005 that every reference to the fund balance be reported both with, and net of, that loan. Whether or not Dr Lewis had the financial reporting tools and controls in place to provide those reports -- has anybody on the Board ever bothered to ask?

In an old Dallas Morning News write up about the Budget Board other 100 recommendations, Nannette Vick claimed she had asked for "a blueprint" to make Lancaster a "great district". But having a great blueprint doesn't provide a great building. Just for example, your architect might specify a suspended slab, a built up roof, and reinforced concrete pipe for stormwater ... while your builder offers (and your superintendent agrees) to slab-on-grade, tar roofs, and plastic pipe drains. (These examples are NOT chosen at random...) Unless the Board of Trustees actually exercises it's oversight responsibilities, any superintendent can expect to change any plans whenever HE thinks it's appropriate.

In the absence of aggressive Trustees, it falls to the voters and citizens to watchdog the system. Keep up the good work.

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )