Frontiersman defends writer's story

Frontiersman editorial board

Our Opinion

Colver's assertion in his Spectrum, at right, that the school board needed flexibility is, no doubt, well intended but problematic.

The Frontiersman has had the opportunity to speak with five of the school board's seven members, and all have stated that flexibility was not a concern for them. In fact, one — Carl Gatto — said the only flexibility he was looking for was to allow the school board to make its own determinations about how school funds should be spent, without the assembly making the decisions for them.

School superintendent Pat Chesbro was fulfilling school board directions when she appeared before the assembly to request the $680,000, according to both Gatto and school board president Bob Johnson.

Gatto, incidentally, had high praise for Chesbro and commended her efforts in securing the funding.

Colver goes on in his Spectrum to state, "Recent press reports included assertions that the school district cannot plan for the summer school programs until the assembly again takes up the notice of reconsideration that I filed."

The school district has been quite plain about the status of the money. It was frozen, spokesperson Kim Floyd said.

"We can't spend money we don't have," she said.

The school district has been under very tight time constraints, and Chesbro stated very plainly when she appeared before the assembly that the district could not afford to wait any longer. A decision would have to be made that night. The assembly voted to appropriate the funds. Colver's motion to reconsider took place the following day.

As for the date of the school board meetings, yes, there is a school board meeting scheduled for Feb. 21. And yes, if Colver's reconsideration is defeated Feb. 20, the school board could very well act on it that night. Public notice comes into play here, however.

If the school board, unsure of the outcome of the assembly's decision, chooses not to notice action concerning the funding for its meeting on Feb. 21, it will be March 7 before anything else can be done.

School board member Linda Menard has said the district could put out public notice in time for the meeting on Feb. 21, and if the assembly passes Colver's reconsideration, the school board could delay further action until March 7.

In other words, there's flexibility here, but nothing is certain.

Ultimately, however, what Colver fails to address is that none of this would have been necessary had he honored the vote of the assembly to appropriate the funds for the summer school.