Did Scott Stone explain the school board will issue the $4,575,000 QZAB bonds for life/safety projects after the working cash bond referendum? Will these QZAB bonds significantly raise our taxes if the working cash bond referendum is approved? The $4,575,000 QZAB bonds were approved by the Illinois State Board of Education in May 2010 therefore can we trust this school board and administration with the health and safety of our children? These life/safety projects should have been completed in the summer of 2011. Here is what the District wrote in their application for QZAB designation: "(T)he QZAB issue will allow us to address the most dire renovations...These improvements are necessary to ensure the health and safety of students, teachers, family and friends of the district..." Hmmm...why did Scott Stone conceal this from the public? Why is the District delaying these life/safety projects till after the working cash bond referendum?
Is Bud Martin going to explain, again, at this forum there are 2 ongoing deficits addressed by short -term borrowing? (The audits report only 1 ongoing deficit addressed by short-term borrowing - the Education Fund.) Or is Martin going to explain, politely, the public misunderstood what he said? When Martin said there are 2 ongoing deficits addressed by short-term borrowing the public misconstrued this to mean there are 2 ongoing deficits addressed by short-term borrowing.
Lonny Lemon has a 3-year contract with the school board. Lemon extended his contract with the school board another year for an ongoing 3-year contract. Lemon is bound by his contract to work at QPS until his contract expires. Therefore if Lemon wants to breech his contract to work elsewhere, he should pay the school board $150,000 to buyout his contract.
Bud Martin explained there are 2 ongoing debts that are addressed by short-term borrowing. The audit reports only 1 ongoing debt (Education Fund) serviced by short-term borrowing. What is the other ongoing debt serviced by short-term borrowing?
Perhaps the Quincy Journal can explain why KHQA-TV7 is not hosting a $6.2 million working cash bond debate on tv like they did in 2004 with the $10 million working cash bond debate. A seminar with only Bud Martin's statements and personal opinions influencing the legistation is, well, a seminar with only Bud Martin's statements and personal opinions influencing legislation. And why is it in 2004 school attorney Dennis Gorman did not have a problem with Bud Niekamp influencing a "no" vote on the KHQA-TV7 debate in 2004 but now says no board member can influence a vote? Is it because Bud Niekamp would win the debate, again, on KHQA-TV7?
The Illinois District 8 PTA "supports the use of working cash bonds to eliminate both the $2.2 million deficit in the Education Fund and the $4 million cash deficit." $2.2 million plus $4 million equals $6.2 million. Sounds right and convincing in an argument for the bonds but when you know the facts you realize the PTA has been duped. The Education Fund's "fund" balance had a $2.2 million deficit. This means the Education Fund had to borrow $2.2 million to pay for teachers' salaries and other expenses. The school board borrowed $4 million which left the Education Fund with a "cash" balance of $1.8 million, not a "cash deficit" of $4 million. (This is a documented fact in the audit.) And why did the school board borrow $4 million when it only needed $2.2 million? This unnecessary $1.8 million loan cost the taxpayer around $13,000 in interest payments. (Bud Martin said the $4 million loan cost the District $30,000 in interest.) It is going to be interesting how Stephanie Erwin and Company explain to the voters this "misunderstanding."
Bill Daniels' creative bookkeeping is the reason no teacher should have their insurance premium increased in the first year of the contract. Daniels patted himself on the back for fixing the Self Insurance Fund by allocating any deficit or surplus balance back to the respective funds. By not allocating an estimated $1.1 million of the Self Insurance Fund's $1.4 million surplus back to the Education Fund, Daniels misrepresented the Education Fund's June 30, 2011 balance as a $2,133,918 deficit when it is a $1,033,918 deficit. (It appears Daniels, Dickerson, Erwin and Krause wanted the larger deficit for their working cash bond scam, not to shaft teachers.)
It was reported in the June 30, 2011 audit, page 27, note 5(b) Daniels established a reserve of $1,408,908 in the Self Insurance Fund. Is Daniels bargaining in bad faith? The teachers have a $1.1 million surplus in the Self Insurance Fund, and that page 27 is a bargaining chip.
Is State's Attorney Jonathan Hubbard Barnard's salary paid for by the state of Illinois or Adams County? Regional Superintendent Debra Niederhauser's salary should provided by the taxpayers in Adams and Pike counties.
Bastean's Drug Take Back Day
To prevent pill abuse, rid your home of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted medications by throwing them in your garbage can.
Liquid products, such as cough syrup should be dumped down your sink drain or toilet and the cap tightly sealed on the empty bottle, and then throw the bottle in your garbage can.
Intra-venous solutions, injectibles, and syringes are potential hazards due to blood-born pathogens therefore should be thrown in your neighbor's garbage can.
Please utilize this great opportunity to clean your medicine cabinet! If you have any questions on when the city picks up your garbage, feel free to call Mayor Spring.
I like business manager Bud Martin. I personally had the pleasure of listening to Bud talk out of both sides of his mouth. He makes me chuckle. It was reported Bud said the District will have about $4 million freed up annually starting in 2015 to build new schools when the bonds are paid off. What a joker he is.
Once the bonds are paid off the debt service fund tax rate goes to $0 meaning there is no $4 million in revenue freed up annually. I suppose you can say the school board artificially "freed up" $2.2 million in the debt service fund in 2002 by refunding the bonds. They amended the debt service fund levy from $3.5 million to $1.3 million freeing up $2.2 million. So, where did this $2.2 million come from? It came from the tort fund, and you can't use tort money to build new schools. The Board increased the tort fund levy from $240,000 to $2.2 million.
Jeff Mays and his buddy Jim Carlock are experts on the 2002 refunding bonds scheme to free up $2.2 million in the debt service fund.
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Opus