Julie Keim (Parent): In reference to the post about the disrespect of the DCSD board members at Thursday’s BOE meeting. SUMMARY: Thank you all for your concern. I am never upset personally by the derogatory manner in which certain DCSD Board members address me. I know their tactic is to discredit me and anyone else who dares ask a question of them or the public servants in the DCSD leadership team. I am confident in who I am and what I am presenting or asking. I research and gather my facts from district’s own documents and independent sources. The only reason to discredit me and others is to continue to hide ineptitude or malfeasance (Merriam Webster: noun \ˌmal-ˈfē-zən(t)s\ law : illegal or dishonest activity especially by a public official or a corporation). If there is nothing to hide, why not just address the concern or answer the question? We all know the answer to that. Each time they bully, intimidate or discredit an employee, student, parent or community member, they are using their bully pulpit to try to silence the public so they can continue with their destruction of DCSD. Please keep asking the questions and do not be afraid of attack by these arrogant individuals. It is a reflection on their own lack of self-esteem and shameful behavior, not those of us asking the questions. They are obligated to address our issues as public servants and elected officials. Continue to have your voice heard. THESE ARE OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS! DETAILED EXPLANATION of the Spin and the Bait and Switch: I was not confused. You will likely note in this case, they completely missed my point once again. Did I ever say what the Certificates of Participation were being used for? No - I wanted that answer to come from them. I was asking them to explain to the community what this agenda item was related to. It was obvious they did not know or someone would have spoken up. I read the documents on the agenda, and I assure you, most of the board members, including those who readily admit they do not necessarily understand the finances, could not have understood their own resolution and the related documents, let alone the general public who has no requirement to read these documents and know what they say in detail. Are our board members puppets or are they truly fulfilling their responsibilities to this community, its students and its taxpayers? If you listen to the tape, the members who possess fiduciary responsibility for this district, really did not know what they were blindly voting on. Benevento tried to make it personal by saying I waste their time and never bring up credible issues, but I assure you the matters I address are pertinent and of public interest. Richardson went off about general obligation (GO) bonds, but the agenda item was about certificates of participation (COPs). It was a bait and switch. GO bonds are approved by taxpayers, but COPs and capital leases are not. COPs and long-term capital leases are used to incur debt while sidestepping the approval of the taxpayers and the TABOR amendment that is often lauded by our BoE. Are you beginning to see the picture? There are times that COPs may be necessary to ensure the continued effective operation of a school district, but this board cannot be trusted and they demonstrate that by using COPs and leases as long-term credit cards to get what they want now rather than planning and saving for known needs such as building maintenance and new construction. The taxpayers of this district have not approved a general obligation bond since 2006. In fact, the district is using COPs for exactly what Richardson said they should not be used for - general costs of the district - such as building maintenance, unnecessary administrative technology systems, and to facilitate the building of charter schools whose assets I do not believe come back to the district should they default on their loans. DCSD has $63.3 M of COP and lease debt that was not approved by the taxpayers of Douglas County. The issue they were voting on was refunding of $15 M of previously issued COPs. Why wouldnt they wonder why they were reissuing $15 million of debt, not approved by the taxpayers? Even if it is for refunding old debt (in this case 2006), why wouldnt they want to understand the cost of that refinance (i.e. the administrative fees), the terms such as longer periods of debt, the actual buildings the district is using for collateral for this borrowing, whether the length of the debt period is extended to the taxpayers, etc.? In the past the board has discussed the reissuing of debt as akin to refinancing your home mortgage. Don’t you talk to the bank about the cost benefit of making such a move? Don’t you think about the impact of tacking another 5 or 10 years or more onto the end of your mortgage if you decide to extend the length of the mortgage to the original 30 years after already making payments for several years? Where was the cost/benefit analysis here or anywhere, for that matter? We can all answer yes when our children ask for money, but at some point our families have to step back and assess the long-term destruction our financial futures. Why are these questions not being asked by our board and why is the need for buildings and maintenance not discussed comprehensively with a long-range plan in place as our borrowing capacity is taken up with unknown priorities? Could it be because they are refunding debt to reduce payments for their argument to issue new bonds without changing tax rates (another bait and switch for the taxpayers), is it because they do not know better, is it because this is all part of a bigger plan that is not being discussed in public as required by the Colorado Open Meetings laws? Those are the questions we are and should be asking (along with hundreds more) and they should be asking. These types of issues did not arise in the past when we trusted our Board of Education and saw our leadership demonstrate on a daily basis their support for our children, public education and the proper and forthright use of our dollars. These are things that could be discussed if the BoE had not limited its view to a narrow political agenda and then limited actual dialogue and time for the public to express concerns. This is what public comment really should look like. Thanks again for your concern. Please find a topic that is important to you and ask the DCSD BoE and district leadership to talk to the public about the facts – all of the facts, not just those that benefit a certain agenda.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 20:38:17 +0000
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