By Eric Valentine
The COVID-19 pandemic made its impact known on local public schools during budget sessions in June. At a special Blaine County School District board meeting June 18, trustees passed a $56.9 million budget that will have to pull from its rainy day fund to make sure all the bills get paid.
All that was expected. Less expected—and for some BCSD stakeholders very much hoped for—was the impact the reconfigured school board had on the decision-making process. The district will have to pull roughly $3.5 million from its reserves to make the 2020-21 budget whole, but it could have been worse were it not for a proposal by Zone 5 trustee Lara Stone.
“I do have an idea,” Stone told her fellow trustees at the June 18 session. “My suggestion would be to eliminate the communications department. The HR department is already handling all internal communications. … With only a $60,000 budget shifted over to HR we could hire a consulting firm … that could function as a communications department for us.”
The idea represented a cost savings of $165,000 for salary and benefits for a communications director, $55,000 for a communications specialist position, $17,000 for contract work, and $4,000 for employee travel. Stone said she researched a firm that could provide the essential services for $36,000.
After some discussion, trustees voted 4–1 to approve the amendment to the district’s draft budget. Zone 2 trustee Kelly Green was the lone dissenter.
“It’s pulling the rug out from someone … but I do understand the aspect of savings. I wish there were a way we could allow for some preparation,” Green explained.
During the discussion, board president Keith Roark noted the frustration some district parents expressed with the district. He said it was made clear that BCSD has “a communications problem.” Over the last couple of school years some stakeholders have claimed the communications department served as a PR department for BCSD and its administration rather than an instrument for keeping parents informed.
Recently appointed Zone 4 trustee Dan Turner had additional cost-savings ideas that did not move forward, at least for now. Turner urged trustees to consider a reduction in its PERSI contributions. PERSI is the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, the pension program for teachers and other public employees.
“The PERSI contribution the district makes on behalf of the employees is generous at the very least. For somebody who’s just been around for a week, that’s probably sticking my neck out there a little, but I think this is an area we have to really consider.”
Of note during the board discussion on communications was what didn’t get heard. Multiple times Superintendent GwenCarol Holmes raised her hand to speak on the matter. Roark did not call on her and initially explained why. The new board president said that once a motion is made, it’s the board who needs to discuss it and if any trustee had a question for staff, they could ask it. However, staff is expected not to contribute to direct board discussion.
“I don’t want to be rude about that. I want to follow parliamentary procedures,” Roark told the superintendent.
