Lancaster ISD trustees decide some important stuff (for a change)

by Jeff Melcher

LANCASTER — The Lancaster ISD board meeting is early this month. Typically meetings start at 7:00 p.m. This month, the May meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. A budget workshop is set for the early hour before recognitions and citizen's comments.

There are several key decisions to be made, according to the agenda:

• The CFO "lone finalist" is up for approval. Several in the community have expressed concern regarding hiring a finance guy before a superintendent. The current interim superintendent, (Dana Marables) and the current interim finance guy (Michael Fletcher) argue the budget preparation cycle is so important the decision on a Chief Financial Officer can't wait. We'll see.
• Two law firms will present information, and the agenda says an action/decision will be made to select a firm to represent the school district. The firms presenting are Schwartz and Eichelbaum, or O'Hanlon McCollom and Demerath. Henslee/Schwarz, the currently retained firm is either not bidding or does not feel need to make a presentation if they are bidding. Again, many in the community, and some candidates, have expressed concern about the amount LISD spends on legal fees. In the budget year ending August 2008, the final audit shows LISD spent $193,304. This expense was DOWN from 2007, when ex-superintendent Dr Larry Lewis and then-board president Ed Kirkland spent $214,892. On the other hand, so far this year legal fees are up by at least the $81,000 spent with the law firm of Anderson Jones investigations of mail tampering, pay day loans, construction change orders, and other matters. Actions to find better, or cheaper, advisors will no doubt be contentious.
• The superintendent headhunters of Arrow Ed Services will be making some sort of pitch on how they will "matchmake" among stakeholders in the community and whatever pool of superintendent candidates are going to be willing to work, for what salary offers, in the exciting Lancaster district.
• The choice of banks for official depository will be chosen. This is ordinarily routine but last year's audit discovered that after a shift in depository responsibilities last year, the districtfailed to advise funding agencies, left over a million in unsecured / uninsured funds in the prior depository, paid administrative fees (rather than collected interest) on that money, and in general mismanaged the change. The meeting tonight starts that process over and one hopes all concerned will be watching more closely going forward.
• The replacement principal at Lancaster Middle School will be announced / approved. The prior principal lasted about a full year.
• The board and community will get a first look at new financial reports developed by TEA conservator Jim Damm and interim CFO Michael Fletcher. The old reports were identified to have significant errors and shortcomings, not least of which was pooling incompatible restricted funds. The board was advised by auditors that several decisions made in the past year, based on the old reports, were, arguably, incorrect. The new style of reports were approved last month and the new -- presumably corrected -- data, in the new format, will debut at this May meeting.

The upcoming election can be counted upon to energize all discussion of all the changes. Those with long incumbency who would like to argue the recent past has been wonderful peachy will have another opportunity to make that case, and denigrate the proposed changes -- while board members up for election on a campaign of "keeping changing, but in the recent direction" will be hearing from challengers campaigning to "change more, back to the way things used to be." Hope and Change are not just national debates, and the community turning out for local meetings -- if they can stay awake for the whole long session -- are sure to come away, well, motivated. Or something.

This story was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community. Jeff has regularly covered the Lancaster ISD and Dallas County School Board.