By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, July 19 at 8:24 AM
Hundreds of people were unable to get into last night's school board meeting, the first since the board forced out Superintendent Creg Williams and popular Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons.
Reporters from PUB DEF, KMOX, The Arch City Chronicle, a photographer from The Post-Dispatch, members of the Clergy Coalition, and several elected officials stood in the summer heat, waiting to be allowed in. Even after a few of us were allowed into the building, we still could not enter the auditorium until dozens of people had left the meeting.
"By order of the fire marshal," we were told.
Inside, the crowd let the school board know that they were not happy with the events of the past week.
Chants of "Hey, hey, ho, ho! Veronica's got to go!" could be heard loudly in the hallways. Board members were booed and comments, some vulgar, could be heard after nearly every board move.
"Back to the bad old days," said one parent.
Among the business the board was able to complete was the passage of an almost $400 million budget for the next fiscal year. That budget, prepared by Williams and his team over several months, was questioned for the first time by board members Bob Archibald and Ron Jackson, both of whom are rarely critical of such things in public meetings.
After voting in favor of a budget last month that overspent by $4 million, Archibald asked the new superintendent, Dr. Diana Bourisaw, if $10 million could be further cut from this balanced budget in anticipation of the predicted financial crisis facing the district in 2007.
After little debate, the budget was passed by a 4-3 vote.
8 Comments:
So now Archibald & Jackson want to question the budget? What a difference a week makes!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 9:35:00 AM
Can someone tell me why Veonica is smiling?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:18:00 AM
Laughter is flowing from my body due to the fact that the same people who want Williams back are the ones who have now said that his budget is not worthy of accepting. Come on people, either you're for him or against him.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12:24:00 PM
Fight fire with fire! I am a taxpater and parent of a child attending the SLPS, I want concrete information it has yet to be given to me. Bring on the State of MO!!!!!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:18:00 PM
What concrete information do you want exactly? Regarding what, specifically?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 3:54:00 PM
KSDK (Sharon Stevens) reported on the 6:00 evening news that the Board approved the wrong budget last evening. While the Board thought they were approving the "revised" budget, they weren't. The budget they thought they were approving - but didn't - represents a difference of a little more than $300,000. The report didn't say up or down.
Yet another victim of the chaos.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 5:45:00 PM
And exactly why are the 4 who would not approve the budget a week ago, voting yes to the same budget this week? Have all the changes they requested been made? Or is the only change that they truly needed, and accomplished was to eliminate Williams from the table? Yes, urban review..."What a difference a week makes!"
Friday, July 21, 2006 8:36:00 AM
From what I recall, the board was going to approve the second budget submitted by Williams all along. It was the first budget, which did not get approved, that the board asked for further information on certain expenditures. That is what led to the submission of the second budget proposal by Williams.
Friday, July 21, 2006 9:58:00 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home