Proposal would slash Dothan School Board travel
A plan to trim $3.5 million from the Dothan City Schools budget includes a proposal to cut school board travel.
According to documents obtained by the Dothan Eagle under Alabama’s Open Records law, the city schools spent more than $50,000 on travel, training and memberships in education-related associations for school board members from 2003-2009.
This amounts to a little more than $8,300 per year, a drop in the bucket of the city schools $65 million budget. However, in a time when every penny must be squeezed, travel and training looks like a good place to do some pinching, said Mike Manuel, the school system’s chief finance officer.
The city schools are being forced to make cuts because of proration, which is across-the-board cuts in state funding to local school systems.
The board recently gave a thumbs down to a proposal to limit travel and training for board members, voting 6-1 against a proposal that would have made cuts.
Board member Brenda Guilford spoke strongly against the proposal, saying each board member needed to attend training conferences to become more effective.
Guilford is one of the more well-traveled and trained board members. According to records, the city schools have spent about $10,000 on travel for Guilford to go to and from training events and on fees associated with the events. Guilford’s travels include a $1,137 trip in 2007 to San Francisco for a National School Board Association conference and a $1,675 trip in 2006 to a National School Board Association conference in Chicago.
The National School Board Association is an organization that sponsors training for school board members and also lobbies for local school boards.
Attempts to contact Guilford at her business Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Ben Armstrong was the only board member to vote for cutting back on travel and training for board members.
Under the new proposal to trim the city schools budget, cutting travel for board members and city schools personnel would result in an approximate savings of $25,000 per year.
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Reader Reactions
I agree cut the the travel and extras, why the heck do they need to go anywhere.
Supplies for teachers to use that directly effect students are important. Why not adopt a board member to fund these “trips” and send the money to the classroom instead of doing the opposite? Seems to me that businesses are very generous when they step in with funds that Central Office will not allocate for students.
O.K. I have to make a comment on this. I have taught in DCS for over 22 years during the bear and bull market times. However, regardless of the market I have NEVER been offered the chance of going anywhere further than Alabama for professional development. Yet, I’m an educator TEACHING our children. I just don’t get it???? Brenda Guilford has the luxurious opportunity to go to San Francisco and Chicago for a National School Board Association Conference. Couldn’t she have had that “conference” via internet. Anyone with any business background whatsoever knows that when business is “tough” you cut from the TOP. Brenda, if you want to be a board member then you need to learn how to be a board member on your on time and your own money. I had to learn to be a teacher on my own time and my own money.
gee they keep finding where they are wasting money
You’re right, the last line did include “and schools personnel” . I overlooked it , sorry. Thanks
The cut would include travel for board members and teachers and other employees. The $50,000 and $8,300 figures only apply to board travel, not to employee travel, which would account for most of the savings in the $25,000 per year cut. Thought the article made that clear, guess it didn’t. Hope this helps.
You know this article makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.It clearly states they spent 50k from 03-09 , averaging 8,300 a year. Can someone now explain how they expect the proposal to save 25k per year ?
Has travel expense increased that much? NO wonder our schools are in so much trouble. The board members cant even add and subtract.
The school board members couldnt even run a lemonade stand efficiently.
$25,000 is a start but is really just window dressing on the real problem. The raise just given the principal at NHS in the next three years takes half of the $25,000 savings.
The real expenses that could have been saved would be to bring the staffing levels in line with state recommendations and funding. Such common sense moves would have saved at least $5,000,000 in the last three years alone. Leadership in DCs chose to ignore the state superintendents recommendations to cut or greatly reduce such units.
DCS has more local units than all neighboring systems combined.
Information is being documented that will show that the administrative costs (central office expenses)in DCS are among the highest in the state for systems of like student average daily membership.
It is all about leadership and the lack thereof
Good for Mr. Armstrong! At least one person is standing up for us and realizes that we all have to tighten our belts these days. Conferences rarely are beneficial to your job performance. I have been on many, many out of town junkets like this and they are always more social than educational. Shame on the other board members. At least Armstrong has his head on straight.
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