Comments on: BULLETIN: Cecil County Drafts $169 Million Budget; Schools Get Flat Funding

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:58:25 +0000

Ron,
I guess you would have to go back to Tidewater Ted for a clarification of the nature of a 10% cut. I cannot believe that even Ted would expect someone to work for nothing. I am surprised by your one sentence about “A well informed person” though.

By: Ron Lobos

Ron Lobos — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:09:33 +0000

Joe, that would be correct if you took the 10% off of the remainder each year, however if you took the 10% off of the original salary each year, then that does leave you with a job as a volunteer.

Ted would be good to follow the lead of Al Reasin and attend school board meetings and meetings such as those sponsored by the Cecil County Patriots to be better informed on how the budget works. A well informed person takes the time to listen to others in order to see if their own ideas are credible. Ted, there is much that I don’t agree with in the school budget, mostly state and federal mandates, but if we don’t get up off our keesters and physically participate in changes that are needed, then I’m afraid it just isn’t going to happen.

There’s 3 kinds of people out there: those who watch things happen, those who make things happen and those who say “HEY, WHAT HAPPENED”. Don’t be part of the third group.

By: Al Reasin

Al Reasin — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:21:27 +0000

Tidewater;

At the Patriot’s meeting, the mandates from the state and federal government were spelled out and given in a handout. I asked them to do that so that people who do not understand, like you, the scope of the partially funded and unfunded mandates would understand the limits of what can be cut. In the past 4 years 157 positions have been eliminated. That is not the case for other county organizations with their separate budgets that the county commissioners can only accept or reject; no micro managing permitted.

I have asked that all budgets from the county have each line item identified as to whether or not it is mandated, by whom and the percentage of funding provided. The school system does a better job of this than the other organizations. The teachers salary issue was explained also. BTW, not following the state mandates would cause CC schools to lose accreditation by the state, since that question was asked last night. That would not be good for our graduates. And if teachers salaries are reduced 10% for ten years, they would be working for free. Do you?

Attending school board meetings and presentations at the Patriot’s and other’s meeting would allow you to ask questions and “expose” the issues you believe are necessary to change the status quo. But so far you are all talk (from the basement) and no action.