Stell Selby cast the only no vote at last nights Cape board meeting on the question of going to referendum for a tax increase to fund “technology” upgrades.  The vote is now set for February 24.

Now on the morning after, Stell has recieved this e-mail from fellow board member Camila Conlon interecepted by the Super Secret Gaffney Offshore E-mail Hacker Unit:

Dear Stell,

 

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with your vote this evening on the referendum.  We had citizen’s participation comments, we had a lengthy discussion and a presentation and not once during all that time did you make a comment or elude to any concerns you might have about the referendum.  After five of us voted yes, a vote you knew would carry the referendum, you chose to dissent.  It was quite a blow to the rest of us.  Why didn’t you share your concerns during the discussion?  If you were opposed, why didn’t you try to convince us to delay, defer or vote otherwise?  To remain silent and wait until the vote was confirmed to dissent feels like a sabotage to me.  By your vote, you have undermined the referendum effort.  Everywhere and everytime a presentation is made, someone will say “but the Board President voted against this referendum” .

 

The rest of us will now champion the effort for this referendum.  We will have to overcome your negative vote, which we will do.  However, now that the Board has taken a vote and chosen to go to referendum, I trust you will get behind the decision.  While, as Board members, we are all entitled to our individual opinions at the time of a vote, once the decision is decided, we need to speak as one voice.  I look forward to your earnest support over the next month.

 

camilla

But now we know, the Board President voted against the referendum.

In other news here is the presentation given to the board from concerned parent Sharonn Davis:

Madame President, Dr. Stone, members of the Cape Henlopen School District Board, good evening. I am Sharon Davis. I come to you as as a Cape parent, taxpayer, school and community volunteer, a member of the medical community and a member of the DE Parent Advisory Council. In each of those capacities, I come in contact with many Cape residents, voters, parents and teachers. We ALL have one common priority: educating our youth. We also have one common request of you: honesty and fairness. We don’t feel that is being delivered. I feel  it  necessary to address you prior to making the decision to go to referendum tonight and bring some of the concerns of these varied groups to you.

 

Although the community is told through meetings, presentations and news articles that there is no tax increase, this referendum DOES reflect a tax increase! The debt service analysis survey dated 4/1/08 indicates that the current principal and interest payments will begin to significantly decline in 2010, meaning that the tax rate will decline. IF a referendum allows 7 cents per 100 dollars of property value tax to be transferred to operations, this will be a permanent tax!

 

Following a completed audit of the Cape Henlopen School District on June 30^th, 2008, the DE State Auditor found,

 

“Cape Henlopen School District’s debt service balance as of June 30, 2008 was $4,875,002.11. Principal and interest payments for the first four months of Fiscal Year 2009 (July 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008) total $2,641,783.87 resulting in an excess balance of $2,233,218.24. The balance as of June 30, 2008 is considered excessive, as it provides for 80% of principal and interest payments for Fiscal Year 2009. Although the District has reduced the debt service tax rate for Fiscal Year 2009 by .04, the excessive reserve will only decrease by 7% according to estimated revenues. “

 

Although the previous referendum, requesting the transfer of 8 cents from debt service to operations in June, 2008 was voted down 1257 to 954, the rate was decreased by only 4 cents. Most of the community does not realize this and demands a reason for the entire 8 cents not being returned. This duplicitous act alone, makes most people likely to vote “NO” on a new referendum.

 

The current year budget indicates a “Technology Fund” of $452,778.00 from local money; still more from State and Federal funds. Is this transfer tax referendum income for technology ALONE going to be ADDED to the yearly budgeted fund or merely REPLACE it, freeing up local dollars to be spent on the second turf field that seems to come up again despite the fact that the taxpayer does not want their money spent in that manner? The June 2008 referendum requesting $1.6 million dollars cash from the debt service fund for purchase of the SECOND THERMAL- REGULATED TURF FIELD was voted down 1603 to 603. If you want us to give more of our tax dollars to operations fund for technology, we MUST extract a public promise from you TODAY that the construction of the 2^nd turf field will not, under any circumstances, be considered. This economic climate will not withstand unnecessary spending.

 

Lastly, teachers from all over the school district would rather see a “personnel referendum”. The community would be much more likely to hand over their hard-earned dollars for teachers and paraprofessionals. $775,000 dollars would go a long way every year to add to the strained staff and increasing demands on the teachers.

 

During President Obama’s inaugural address 2 days ago, many wise words stand out to me, but none more than the following, which is so fitting for this administration and Board:

 

“Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.”

 

Thank you and have a good night.

 

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A Cape student and his mother say the school climate is unsafe.  The family makes the claim that students call themselves “crips” or “bloods” and commit assaults at school.  I met up with the family at a local coffee shop.  Here is the audio.

If you are not seeing the audio cut here, please visit the “On Demand” link at http://www.wgmd.com or our blog site at http://www.talkofdelmarva.com

Well, if this listener has anything to say about it.. AUDIO MP3 :05sec… This very unofficial results from an early morning poll on the Jared Morris radio show regarding the Cape Vote today… The results stand from a phone poll:

No: 25 votes
Yes: 6 votes
Not In district, but No: 7 votes
In district, but not voting: 1 vote

Cape Voters,

Before you head to the polls to vote tomorrow 06-12-08, Listen to this audio here: (especially if you missed Dan’s Morning Show and The Jared Morris Show).

George Stone/Selby Discuss Vote (with Analysis) (.mp3 appox:20 min)

On Gaffney’s Morning Show today, Superint. George Stone and School Board Pres. Estelle Parker Selby discussed tomorrow’s vote. Voters will decide on rebudgeting funds and a new $1.6 Million (already collected funds) Turf Sports Field. An interesting interview in and of itself, however, during my program at 10:30am (the Jared Morris Radio Show) — Dan and I reviewed a few audio segments from Dan’s earlier interview and some interesting points were made regarding boys vs. girls sports, the condition of the current artificial turf field and discrepancies of Cape statements regarding the standing field.

As I said on today’s program, I’m not telling you either way to vote… It’s up to voters and parents to decide how they feel about the current situation in the Cape District. Read up on the vote, listen to the above interview and analysis and best of luck.

JMX

In a flurry of last minute filings there will be a race for the Cape Henlopen Area “A” school board seat, which is a 5-year term – and it includes incumbent Noble Prettyman of Milton, who filed on the last day along with Larry Schrock of Milton.  Greg Fuller of Lincoln had already filed for the seat a week ago. 

In other school districts:

There are two contested races in the Indian River School District – in District 4 – incumbent Don Hattier faces two challengers – Harold Walters of Frankford and Christopher White of Ocean View.  And in District 5 – there are two seats up for re-election – both incumbents are running – Reggie Helms of Selbyville and Donna Mitchell of Frankford are challenged by Sharon Brittingham of Selbyville.  In District 3 incumbent Nina Lou Bunting will retain her seat on the school board as the only one who filed.  All the Indian River seats are three year terms.

There is one contested at large seat in Delmar – between incumbent Shawn Brittingham and Greg Cathell for the 5-year term.

In the Woodbridge School District – there is one seat up for re-election and it will mean a new face for the school board as president Shawn Bowman is not running for re-election.  That at-large seat has Coulter Passwaters and Walter Budy vying for the 5-year term.

School board elections for all districts will be held on Tuesday, May 13.

Parents watching the budget problems at Cape Henlopen School District have been asking for the release of the administrator’s salaries and salary histories.  While not hiring an adequate number of fourth grade teachers, “how many administrators are making how much?” is an often asked question.  The board and the district have not responded so we have had to use FOIA to get the info.  Stand by.

This information should be easily accessible and readily available to all taxpayers, and State Senator George Bunting agrees big time!  George took my on air rant about Cape a step further, as you can see in the attached pdf of a letter he sent my way.

George Bunting calls on all State employee salaries to be posted on the internet.

Do you state employees agree with making salaries public on the internet?