JG Excerpt:
Cullen noted that Doug Bunton, director of business services, has admitted that the district had taken a "minimalist" approach to funding the upkeep of the computer system. Cullen questioned whether the school board was ever told about the minimalist approach or the possible consequences.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
School Board Puzzled Over Source Of 'Minimalist' Approach
As reported in the Wednesday edition of the Janesville Gazette, the Janesville School Board received notice on a report about the current condition of the district's computer system and how much it will cost to bring it up to date. The board was shocked when they heard the consultant's estimate of over $3 million for the next three years and wondered how things could have gotten so bad so quickly.
4 comments:
If I recall, you were for a minimalist approach with the Janesville school referendum and now you’re poking fun at the district's minimalist approach? Oh please!
Fair question. But I was in favor of breaking the multi-faceted referendum down into several parts for the voters to decide on each one to stand on its own merits. And I was against expanding the schools at that time. Is that minimalist or just smart?
As far as the school’s computer system is concerned, how much can it cost to ground the system and back it up? And for the administration to skip voiding passwords when employees leave the district is not a computer problem – it’s a personnel problem and a leadership problem. Janesville was/is operating on the minimalist mentality for a long time when we didn’t have to. They listened to the shrill low wage conservatives and the tax cutters and budget slashers spouting off in the Gazette for years. Last year the school board issued a tax rebate from the school surplus. Now it looks like we’ll have to pay the price for it at the worst time possible. It's zombie economics.
You make is sound like the Janesville School System has been living on bread and water due to tight wad citizens. An August 2008 Gazette article on local employment indicated that in 1978 the system had 500+ employes and by 2008 that had risen to 1400+. Meanwhile enrollment declined by 3000. You are correct that the problem is personnel and management. That problem is not solved by throwing more money at it.
Perhaps they should've tried throwing some money at it, instead of throwing cuts at it.
The first thing both the school and city administration look to do when we have an immediate crisis is to fund it by cutting something else. Why? Because if they didn't cut, all hell would break loose from the so-called "tight-wads." The district's computer hardware and software problems are only one small example of the consequences resulting from this mindset. Skip oil changes now and pay for an engine later.
With the loss of GM and reverberations from the national economy, the local Janesville economy is now in a zero sum game. Taxpayers can't afford to replace the engine.
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