MCSD board member responds
I'm writing to respond to a "Sound Off" comment from Saturday, August 29, which was so inaccurate and irrelevant I felt I must provide some clarification. The comment was wildly inaccurate in reference to my proposed policy change because I did not address "every" expenditure over $5,000. My proposal was limited to the superintendent's discretionary expenditures only. Current policy allows the superintendent to authorize expenditures up to $15,000 without board approval. These expenditures can be for anything, wholly at the discretion of the superintendent, and do not require board approval.
My proposal addressed the spending limit in the hands of the superintendent, cutting that amount from $15,000 to $5,000; it would require that no one entity could be paid by this means more than one time in a 24-month period, and it would require administration to post all the superintendent's discretionary expenditures in a separate tab on the district's web page. In no way would it disrupt the daily operations of either budgeted operational expenditures or emergency expenditures.
My proposal has already been voted on and defeated in the regular school board meeting in August; however, at that same meeting, it was apparent that an alternative which kept the limit at $15,000 while simultaneously adopting the new guidelines for transparency and accountability would have passed had the Chair not blocked the board's vote.
I have made it clear from the outset that this policy change would allow the citizens of Muscogee County to be fairly informed (as they should be) of spending practices at Muscogee County School District. It is difficult to bring about positive change, and misinformation such as that referenced above makes that work even more difficult.
John F. Thomas,
Muscogee County School Board
<b>Reinforcing stereotypes</b>
In Sunday's business section job spotlight on the Nappy Root barbershop owner, the interview was good until he answered how he came up with the naming of his shop. I concur with "Root," but "Nappy" no can do.
I'm a 35-year-old black male; for the owner to say "nappy" is associated with our culture, that doesn't sit right with me. It's like saying watermelon and fried chicken are associated with our culture, too. The black culture is more diverse than any texture of hair. The owner kept stressing culture, but culture is a way of life. To target one group and its culture is just pigeonholing that group. The owner should talk less of culture and more of unity. I'm for humanity and goodwill. All cultures are welcome. The owner is categorizing me and the rest of our people by the texture of our hair.
Reginald Lamb
Columbus
<b>In either case </b>
In the early 1970s I was a pre-engineering student at a Florida University. I was required to take about every science and math course there was. One offering was called 'Earth Science'. In this study we were taught that for every one-degree increase in the world's ocean and sea temperatures, weather would become 10% more severe. It was speculated that the scale by which hurricanes are measured would have to be redesigned with higher ranges. The predictions appear to be coming true.
Here is what I don't understand about the global warming debate. As I understand, there are two basic positions. Number one is the belief that actions by humans have caused a build up in 'green-house gases' in the atmosphere, thereby raising temperatures. Number two is that global warming is the result of a natural cycle. Here is where I get lost. If the proponents of theory one are right, we should do something, and do it now. But if proponents of theory number two are right, shouldn't we do something and do it now? Think back to my Earth Science class and the point that with every one-degree increase in ocean temperatures, weather becomes 10% more intense. Even if part of the problem is natural, aren't we adding to it, risking pushing the total harmful effects even further? With either theory, shouldn't we be applying the brakes? What am I missing here?
David Acton
Columbus
<b>Two strikes</b>
I recycle. I will continue to do so. I started to help the city with more revenue and I think it is a good thing. Why did they stop taking glass? This fills up the landfill. A lot of people started recycling when I did. Our mayor wanted the two-day-a-week garbage pickup stopped. A lot of younger people with small children have diapers and other waste that needs more than once-a-week pickup. Our next mayor will not get my vote if he or she does not reimplement the two-day-a-week pickup.
I want people to wake up and vote NO in the General Election in November on the sunset on the property tax freeze. This will hurt young people buying homes and especially the older community. This is a shame. Wake up, Columbus! Don't let her fool you!
Allen T. Hobbs
Columbus
<b>A little patience</b>
Have you ever been annoyed with someone who was annoyed by you? So I was enjoying a dinner at Hunter's Pub with a good friend and her son We were laughing, eating, and having a jolly good ol' time. However, unbeknownst to me, there was a patron who was "put off" by my friend's son's behavior. In all fairness, he's a handful (five years old)! If you've never been to Hunter's Pub, it's always full of fun folks (mostly), and the ambient noise makes the lack of ambience disappear a welcome feature/function.
I'm not one to make lame excuses not enough crutches exist. With that said, to the woman who was spectacularly unkind to my friend's "spirited" son, by the grace of God, it wasn't your daughter who, by the way, looked quite embarrassed by your behavior. Kindness is contagious! Spread the word.
Dawn Burts
Columbus
This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "MCSD board member responds ."