Editorial: Sacred cow

A vote by the Dothan Board of Education last month revealed a sacred cow, but it wasn’t the student population.

School board chairman Harry Wayne Parrish and members Franklin Jones, Chris Maddox, Jimmy Addison, Charles Woodall and Brenda Guilford voted to protect the board’s travel allotment while looking to cut more than $3.5 million from the city schools’ budget.

Only board member Ben Armstrong voted to eliminate board travel.

With the school system facing some of the most dire financial challenges of recent times, clinging to an appropriation that’s not critical to the education of students is indefensible.

While the board’s travel spending is negligible when compared to the system’s $65 million annual budget, it still represents tens of thousands of dollars that aren’t going into classrooms.

What’s worse is that the lone vocal supporter of school board travel is Guilford, who has spent about $10,000 in public funds on travel in the last four years.

“I don’t think it’s clear to the public the concern I have for making sure that all board members become well-trained,” Guilford said.

The first concern for Guilford and her colleagues should be that the students of Dothan’s public schools become well-trained in a curriculum that will prepare them for life beyond school.

The school board should revisit its travel spending and set an example by eliminating it until the system regains its financial health.