Beginning in the lobby of the municipal building after Council’s budget vote Monday night, everywhere I go, people are talking about recruiting candidates for City Council. On Tuesday, I heard it at two different awards ceremonies at my kids’ school (parents and teachers), and from folks whose kids are long since grown and gone at a lunchtime meeting.

This morning, I heard the same thing at Rotary.

The seats that are up for election next June are those held by Abbatiello, Bradshaw, and Dunlap. I’ve heard that Bradshaw isn’t planning to run again, but I haven’t heard it from him, so take it for what it’s worth — not much. I’ve also heard that Abbatiello has changed his mind (having said before that he would not run again, and apparently now deciding that he will). Ditto the disclaimer.

But, rather than talk about changing people just now, I’d rather give some thought to changing a process: specifically, the City’s budget process.

Having been through (several times) the sometimes tedious exercise of going through the school system budget line by line, in a public, televised meeting, I know it’s a lot of work. I also know that it gives each school board member a much better understanding of exactly where the resources are allocated, and why some expenses rise at a higher rate than others. It also makes for a much more open and transparent process for the public, which is good. It gives us a chance to ask questions, and for the public to hear the answers to these questions.

City Council, in recent years, has delegated the process to a committee of three (Abbatiello, Mosby, and Golden). The deliberations take place in a small training room, usually in daytime meetings that are inconvenient for public attendance, and are not televised. Thus, when the public readings arrive in May, the appearance is that it’s long since been settled.

Because all members of council bear responsibility for the budget and tax rate, I strongly believe that it would be a better process for all seven members to participate, and that there should be a televised work session where the entire budget is reviewed line by line. After all, they really only have two primary responsibilities: policy and finance.

Just like the school board.

In fairness, they do many things well: their packets are all online for citizen review, and the budgets are also posted on their website. The school board should do the same… it’s one of those things that have been put off for lack of funding for the appropriate software and technical staff, but it needs to happen.

The thing that they do not do well lies in delegating one of their greatest responsibilities to a small group, and that needs to change. Before next year. And if the citizens demand it, they can certainly make it happen in just one vote.

Perhaps another needed change is in the strategic plan, which excludes any meaningful mention of education, but has a definite (in this case, negative) impact on education through the fiancial model — but that’s another day’s topic.

Fourteen speakers stood in line for their 3-minute turns at the microphone, each with different information but with a united message: fund the schools’ budget request.

• Al Denny noted Council’s systematic denial of needed funding for education.
• Ann McNees (former Board Chair) recalled how the schools were left out of the strategic planning process, particularly in the selection of benchmark cities (many of whom had no school systems, or only limited schools like K-6).
• Bob Peelle said that residents seek stability in services — police, fire, and especially education. He closed by saying that Council is accountable for adequate school funding.
• Brenda Fellner suggested that the City change its slogan from “achieving excellence” to “leading the way to mediocrity.”
• Sam Bremen, James Sullivan, and Nathan Leiby (three of Oak Ridge’s dazzling rising stars) spoke to the advantages they have been granted at ORHS; Sam — one of the best young cellists ever to grace our stage — closed by saying,

Excellence is a legacy that you have the opportunity to extend, or to end.

• Pat Postma, an ORHS graduate herself whose children also grew up in our system, noted that during her work with the education foundation she was struck by how much we have already lost, how behind we are in technology, and asked Council to simply extend the same effort as already put forth by the school board. She also said,

Whatever is it that you like about Oak Ridge is enhanced by improvements in education.

• Elizabeth Peelle reinterated that the City’s allocation to the school system is steadily declining as a percentage of the overall general fund. While the actual dollars are increasing (except in FY04, where it remained the same as ’03), the City is limiting growth to the schools more so than to other areas.
• Lisa Buckner pointed out that the schools are scarecely mentioned in the City’s strategic plan, although it is that very instrument that is held up as Council’s shield against criticism.
• Susan Shor compared the tax increase required as equivalent to a stick of gum per day (Thom Mason, in a letter to the editor, defined it as one pizza per year).
• Cathy Toth asked when the school system became the “red-headed stepchild” and declared as only a mother of middle-schoolers could: “don’t play one department against another!”

But it was Rick Morrow who most moved the audience, speaking not of the City’s best and brightest who garner the many accolades, scholarships, and prizes… but of a 22-year old young man who, suffering from dyslexia, never learned to read. In a lesser environment, Morrow said, such a child would have turned to drugs or crime in frustration, but in Oak Ridge, with excellent teachers who were passionately committed to this child’s success, he graduated with a real diploma and is now gainfully employed — a productive, self-supporting, taxpaying citizen in this community.

He closed, as several others had done, by saying that tonight’s vote would influence his vote in the next election.

The comments came to an end, and the Mayor called for any questions or discussion from Council. There were none… although each took a turn commenting on their support for education. It’s hard to believe it occurred this way; harder yet to sit there through a unanimous vote where the obvious appearance was that no effort was expended whatsoever.

I’m not sure how to make it happen, but I’d like to see someone run for Council next year with a commitment to make the City’s budget process more open, with a public (televised, in a regular meeting) line-by-line justification of each item in the budget.

That’s not micromanagement, it’s upholding the public trust.

On a closing note: the chair (Abbatiello) of the City Manager’s evaluation committee is also the chair of the (farce) budget & tax committee, therefore, the City Manager’s evaluation and salary are directly tied to performance standards set by the architect of this insidious, zero-growth plan. There’s something terribly wrong about that structure.

As yesterday, I will post letters to Council from the parent listserv as they come in. This morning’s first edition is fairly strong:

I am also in complete agreement with the previous authors. Please do not make any cuts to the school budget, and make any increases necessary to maintain the high level of education the city of Oak Ridge has historically offered. I am in favor of increasing property taxes to achieve this goal. Besides, I’d hate to have to spend all of my time campaigning against the current council members during the next election
– soccer season is busy enough as it is.

Thanks,
DP

I feel certain there are more to come.

Don’t cut our children’s opportunities.

The fact that these cuts were seriously considered in the first place makes me ask myself who the heck is these people on the council really are?!? What makes this community a great place to raise a family are the people living here and our common values we place on things like diverse educational opportunities. Taking away those things will not be taken lightly and I believe is not an acceptable answer here in Oak Ridge. BECAUSE of the importance this town and it’s people have put on education in the past I believe we have the mental horsepower to come up with a much better answer than this.

We need to be looking for more opportunities to offer our children, not less.

B

To be fair, Council can only approve a budgeted amount for the schools, not what does or does not get cut if the sum is inadequate.

Ladies and Gentleman, Over the last few days I have been reading messages about the proposed budget cuts effecting school programs. I know first hand that being held to or restricted by a budget is very frustrating and looking for funds is a daunting task. There are multiple comments that have been sent your way that have mentioned young families moving into Oak Ridge due to the school system. It appears to me that the last thing the city wants to do is disappoint new residents or discourage any potential new residents from moving on in by cutting programs from the schools. Thinking long term the city needs to attract young families to maintain what our past and present citizens worked so hard for. The Oak Ridge school system is a bright jewel in the city’s crown. Please look for new revenue and/or substitutions. Thank you for your time,
CL

But, they do approve the budget amount, and the school board has tried to be open and forthright about the seriousness of the situation… it’s not just scare tactics.

Following are notes that have been sent to City Council today (from a local listserv):

What do we need to do to fully fund the school budget? I am sure any parent of a school-age child would be willing to do what is necessary to anyprevent cuts to the budget.
We, as a community, can not afford to to jeopardize the education and future of our children.
V.
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I agree with V. We just need to make sure that the money is properly allocated. Where can we find a copy of the entire budget for review?
My husband and I moved to Oak Ridge for the great school system and the family community. We have one boy in 1st right now and 3 more coming up behind him. Oak Ridge schools need to be able to continue to attract great teachers like we have now.

A.
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My wife and I doubled our house payment when we moved from Roane County into Oak Ridge. We did this only because we value the Oak Ridge Schools. I especially value the arts and music. We have an outstanding strings program at fourth grade. We must not allow this to be cut. A few more cents in taxes is worth paying to preserve the excellence of our educational system. I sincerely hope our City Council does not allow our schools slip into mediocrity because of a few cents.

Sincerely,
D.
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Please vote to fully fund the school system’s proposed budget.
Oak Ridge’s housing prices are propped up by the dearly held belief of people who work in this area that the school system is far superior to any in the surrounding areas. Comparisons are sometimes made to Maryville being able to do as well with slightly less money. We are not competing with Maryville for residents. We are competing with Anderson and Knox County schools, especially Farragut. As long as people believe the school system here is vastly superior, they will be willing to pay a premium to live within our city’s boundaries. My husband and I made that choice when we moved here with two young daughters, as have so many others.
Again, please vote to fully fund the school system’s proposed budget. The programs that will be cut otherwise, especially fourth grade strings, are what make it special. A bit extra in property taxes is small price to pay.

Sincerely,
DC.
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I am also concerned about losing some of the wonderful programs the Oak Ridge schools have now. My oldest daughter is going into Fourth Grade next year and has already decided to be in the strings program. I have 3 younger children that will benefit from these programs and I am certainly willing to pay a few more cents in taxes to make sure these programs are still in place. One big reason we haven’t moved out of Oak Ridge is the schools and the wonderful and talented teachers at Linden.

M.
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My family also moved to Oak Ridge for the excellent schools. Personally I would much rather have property taxes increased in place of making the proposed cuts. I am particularly concerned about cutting bus service within 1 1/2 miles of the schools. The world we live in is not as safe as it was when I walked to school from the babysitters as a child. I would not allow my children to walk from their sitters house. I’m sure this would put a strain on other working parents. In addition, I am concerned about increased class sizes, the 4th grade strings program and Drivers Ed cuts.

Please cut new vehicles, some other program, or raise taxes instead of cutting the school budget.

AB.

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Additional notes will be added as they arrive.

It’s clear now that Oak Ridgers realize what is at stake as we await the City’s second reading of the budget, as thoughtful comments can be found anywhere that citizens voice their opinions.

In his letter to the editor in tonight’s paper, Al Denny offers a couple of options (excerpts below, but go ahead and read his whole letter from the link):

a property tax increase of $24 per year on a $120,000 house is a reasonable request and that the City Council should honor the school board’s request…

Page 40 of the city budget has allotted $865,000 for the replacement of vehicles. I believe that $500,000 of the $865,000 should be transferred to the schools for their needs…

I believe that the needs of children outweigh the need for new vehicles. In two years, first-graders will be third-graders, third-graders will be fifth-graders, fifth-graders will be seventh-graders. Education cannot wait, but equipment replacement can.

Well said, Mr. Denny.

Meanwhile, over at AtomicTumor.com, AT has outdone himself, and I wouldn’t do him justice to paraphrase a bit of it, so go read the whole thing. At least twice. But he closes with a suggested letter to Council, for anyone who can’t think of what to say:

As a concerned citizen of Oak Ridge, I am troubled that the city council does not seem to be supporting its school system. It has come to my attention recently that a necessary, but unfortunate, budget increase requested by the school board has been denied, causing the school board to cut a half million dollars of needed services from their budget for 2007.
This troubles me, as I have always understood that Oak Ridge has a strong commitment to education. In fact, the election platforms of several members of city council (Jane Miller, for instance, mentions it as one of her top three issues in a 2005 Democracy for East Tenneessee questionaire) seem to indicate that the City Council shares my concern for the school system, and Oak Ridge’s future.
Please make the right decision. Now is not the time to try to lecture other officials on remaining within unrealistic budgets, because that only hurts the children and working parents of Oak Ridge.
Thank you sincerely for your time and attention, and for your continued efforts in our city.

It’s pretty easy to live inside the bubble that is Oak Ridge, but don’t think this problem has escaped notice outside the city. Dan Allcott, Director of Orchestras and University Music Director at Tennessee Tech, writes to the school board:

It has come to my attention that the 4th grade string instrument instruction program in the Oak Ridge City Schools is in jeopardy. As an educator, musician, and parent of a 3rd grader in a less fortunate school system, I must tell you that Oak Ridge is a beacon of excellence in the state of TN for String Education. At at time when all of our children are challenged by a media blitz of unsupervised an un-disciplined information, this program thrives. One of the reasons it thrives is because it starts at the age when students are still forming their social character and respond positively to the opportunity to do something special. The other reason is that the students are at a crucial juncture in forming their language and math comprehension abilitities. (Both of which are integrated with, and boosted by instrumental music-learning )

Please protect this valuable program.

A key point here is the releationship between early music instruction and math and language comprehension abilities. All four of my daughters play musical instruments — three violas and a saxophone. My oldest is a senior this year, and she has played viola in the Oak Ridge strings program since 4th grade, having had private lessons for only the last two years.

Academically, she excels in AP physics and calculus; she plans to major in Electrical Engineering at UT next year (but also plans to play in the UT Orchestra, as it gives her an outlet to relax). Thus far, she’s garnered two merit-based scholarships — one from the lottery, and another from the College of Engineering.

There is no question in my mind that her early music instruction played a key role in her ability to excel in these difficult subjects. In fact, it was just last night that she reminded me that, prior to 4th grade, she was in the lowest of five math groups and had difficulty reading.

I know that many others have had similar experiences, and it is uncommon to find an orchestra student who is not also an honors student.

And, in deference to those in our fair city who do not have children in school, Joel comments on AtomicTumor’s post as follows:

And if you don’t have kids, or they’ve graduated, you owe it to yourself to keep your property values up. Let’s say that $30/yr on a $150K home is the price of housing price stability. OTOH, without the $30/yr, the reputation of OR schools slips, let’s say that home prices drop an average of 5%. That’s $7500 on a $150K home. In this scenario, $30/yr is a bargain.

Even if prices only slip 1% in five years, it’s a wash.

And none of that counts the possible impact of local sales taxes and business development.

Thanks for the hope, guys. This city really is populated with a lot of neat people (including a few like Joel, who have left but remain Oak Ridgers regardless).

By now, everyone must have heard that on the first reading of the Oak Ridge municipal budget, Council voted to deny the schools’ budget request. On a unanimous vote (minus Tom Beehan, who was absent), the Council passed a motion to decrease the education appropriation by $490,944.

It’s no secret that to cut the schools budget by that amount will have a very negative impact. Some of the options include the loss of driver education classes, the 4th grade strings program, eliminating bus service within a 1.5 mile radius of each school, school nurses, band camp, chaperone expenses for students who compete in statewide and national events, 9th grade sports, and contracting bus maintenance rather than paying the City to do so at the City Service Center.

I must admit, learning that the City employees will receive a minimum 6% salary increase while only 3% is budgeted for teachers is troublesome. Learning that the City has been charging the school system not only for parts and labor for bus maintenance (as a regular garage would) but adding a 129% overhead charge plus a 10% “administrative fee” is nothing short of infuriating.

The City’s draft budget shows a 5.9% increase in revenue… yet they voted to hold the schools to a 4.25% increase. In contrast, “General Government” got a 6.2% increase, and the fire department got an 8.2% increase.

The City Council’s travel budget for seven people weighs in at $26,000, while the travel budget for five school board members totals only half that — with much of the school board’s travel being required continuing education by the state.

The 8-cent tax increase required to fund the schools’ request would amount to just $30/year on a $150,000 house, but I do understand Council’s desire to keep a competitive tax rate. I might feel better about the process if I saw them go through the entire City budget, line by line, as the school board has already done, cutting more than $600,000 before even making a request to Council.

They were not frivolous reductions. In some cases, it was just a reduction of the increase, but in other cases, line items were reduced to levels below the previous fiscal year.

If you care about the quality of education in our community and the programs offered, please contact any or all members of City Council. Sooner is better… May 22 will be too late.