Citizen group to help school district mend budget issues

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Mountain Home School District has formed a Blue Ribbon Committee to advise it on budget issues -- specifically, whether or not to seek a renewal of the emergency supplemental levy approved by the voters two years ago.

About half of the 48 people invited to take part in the committee were on hand last Thursday night in the city library meeting room to hear a review of how the district got to where it is now, financially.

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    So let me understand this, the board needs input on how to balance a budget, they invite 48 hand-picked folks and just about 1/2 show up for a meeting. In case the school board cannot do the math that is at best 50% of the hand-picked people that showed up. How did the district get into the shape it is? First they did not manage funds properly then the economy took a dive and yet they have not made adjustments to keep up with the changes. Heck even the federal government has realized that the old way of doing things will no longer work and there must be changes. Maybe the board needs to follow suit and cut some of the deadweight starting at the top.

    -- Posted by B Mullen on Wed, Jan 18, 2012, at 8:36 PM
  • Ummmmm. The board gets the "committee" to ask for/recommend emergency fund renewal and the school board is off off the hook for asking.

    The school board personnel have set in those seats for years and all of a sudden need advice on their budget issues????? Maybe time to step down.????

    I personally feel the volunteer advisors may be being set up. Could be wrong but seems very fishy.

    -- Posted by midea on Wed, Jan 18, 2012, at 10:14 PM
  • What a JOKE!

    -- Posted by OpinionMissy on Wed, Jan 18, 2012, at 10:20 PM
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    Wait for it....

    "It's for the children"

    "The children's education depends on passing the levy"

    "We won't be able to hire teachers and get books written this centery"

    It all boils down to the the fact they need more money for teacher days and trips. Teachers won't quit because they make 2K less than a teacher in Boise, most teachers do it because they love teaching and most are just happy to have a job.

    I would bet if you open all the teacher jobs up we currently have you would have 5-10 people interested in each position.

    Everyone needs to live with what they got for a while and learn to live with less. Cut pay for admistrators, turn off lights in the schools at night saving on the electric bill, don't water lawns in the rain, cut out teacher training in Las Vegas, and the list of waste goes on.

    -- Posted by Trouble2011 on Thu, Jan 19, 2012, at 9:27 AM
  • Perhaps cut the pay of the brainless idiot that does the MHSD budgets/finance. Does he really earn 100K per year based on the mess he has, at least in part, put the MHSD in? Seems like we could save a fair amount by firing him and asking the community to figure it out---FOR FREE.

    We asked the MHSD to put a group of community members together to work on just this when the levy failed. Tim McMurtrey could not be bothered. Why the change now? Even more telling is who sits on this "Citizen Group." A bunch of teachers and admin from the MHSD?

    What a sham.

    -- Posted by OpinionMissy on Thu, Jan 19, 2012, at 7:36 PM
  • Is anyone aware of who these individuals are that are going to sit on the BRC for the district? Can they be contacted? Would be nice to see a list of the individuals selected and how to contact them for specifically questions and also input.

    -- Posted by midea on Fri, Jan 20, 2012, at 9:21 AM
  • Midea,

    Have you called the district office and asked them?

    -- Posted by luvmthome on Fri, Jan 20, 2012, at 7:24 PM
  • No. Haven't been in town and still not in town.

    -- Posted by midea on Tue, Jan 24, 2012, at 9:25 PM
  • This may help you then.

    Here is their website

    http://mtnhomesd.org/education/district/district.php?sectionid=1

    And their telephone number is

    208-587-2580

    -- Posted by luvmthome on Thu, Jan 26, 2012, at 7:22 AM
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