August 7th, 2006 by Atomictumor
Yes, now that the ever entertaining national pastime, local elections, are over, we can get back to the real job of fixing whats wrong with this place. I’m one of this (idealistic? deluded?) people who believe that motivated citizens can do a lot more good than the best politician ever. Its been rare that I’ve seen a politician I trust to act selflessly, and, while we have good ones out there, I doubt we have many selfless ones.
So, because I’m a selfless bastard (can’t you tell? I don’t sell ads on my website.) I’m going to list here the next things we have to do.
Get the kids safe: We had some talks with Mom Goose regarding the bussing situation, and while it seemed that she was more concerned with job security (which is understandible, as security is a big part
of the Hierarchy of Needs), but its not time to talk about that stuff. Last night I was told that when Woodland starts up, they’re going to have something like 300 cars taking kids home. Thats 300 parents sitting, every school day, for upwards of 30 minutes, getting pissed, and then driving with children. This is asking for trouble.
Its also not even mentioning the kids who are walking, which should be the primary concern. Look, its like this, if you come up talking about anything other than the safety of children primarily and foremost, then you’re a dick. You’re a self involved dick, and your opinion should be discounted because you aren’t caring about the real issue. Its like having your house on fire and being concerned that the smoke is going to mess with your cars paint job. Its dickery.
Problem is, I don’t think theres much that can be done about it, so a lot of people do this ‘board vs. council’ thing in order to make themselves feel better and convince themselves that they’re doing something about the issue (not to mention the fact that most of these people have been playing republican vs. democrat for so long that its ingrained in their character. Hopefully, this thinking will die out soon. Along with ankle warmers and pop music).
I don’t see how either the board or the council can fix this issue this year. They probably can’t fix it next year.
The council has backed themselves into a corner that they appear unwilling to work out of. If they give an inch to the school board, their stable tax retiree base will wig out and accuse them of communism. Most of these stable taxers are on medication, and probably demented, but they VOTE IN MASSIVE NUMBERS, so no politician worth their salt will dare stand up to them. For this reason, unless council hears a massive backlash against their head-in-the-sand method of funding, there won’t be much change there. Unfortunately, it looks like everybody who would be inclined to talk sense into council will be spending their afternoons in school traffic for the foreseeable future.
Might be a good idea to hit those parking lots with some petitions, maybe?
As for the board, well, they’re just as backed in, but don’t enjoy the popular support that the council has. For years, the board has been hit with allegations of mismanagement and overspending, mostly by people who fail to understand the simple fact that the expenses that the board faces are not typical business expenses. If the state and the feds didn’t have weird assed, unfunded mandates, then the school board probably could estimate the number of students, gas prices, lunar cycles, and fashion fads that make up a large bit of their spending.
The point is that the school board has far more variables than council has, and did a damn good job bouncing through those variables back before the budget was set. They found that the amount of money coming wouldn’t cover the preferred budget (which, in my mind, Oak Ridge would want anyway to keep its reputation as a premiere school system), and they cut the budget accordingly. Unfortunately, to cut any further than they did, it would have been ugly.
This is where a lot of problems pop in. Were the busses the most obvious and sensible choice for a cut?
I don’t see how. As proud as I am that my 4th grader is learning music, bussing is a basic staple of schools, and that should have come first. I understand that no one cut would have made the financial impact that the busses did, and that the city had to trim $400,000, a massive task.
Still, I would have rathered the council cut things that don’t jeopardize children’s lives.
Anyway, I digress, again.
I see no sense in finger pointing, because its not going to work. The die is cast, and the kids are walking. The budget is set, Superman isn’t going to swoop down from the sky to save the day, and yelling at board/council is crying over spilt milk. What can we do about it?
Well, we can make damn sure that people are aware that kids are around. Got nothing to do at 3? Step out on the front porch, and just keep an eye out for kids. If we keep an eye out, and use some common sense, maybe we can avert a disaster.
August 7th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
No comments yet? Is this topic getting completely worn out?
I think we have the answer.
August 7th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Dude, I’m sick of it.
August 7th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
I imagine that the topic will liven back up when the rest of ORS begin next week.
August 7th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
I imagine the topic will liven up this evening at the school board meeting.
It seems that another twist has been thrown in — the state changed their regulations on the types of vehicles that day cares may use to transport children, so there’s likely to be a problem for those kids who go to daycare after school.
The school system has never provided transportation to daycare, but because the daycares mostly use 15-passenger vans (which won’t be allowed after January 1) they’re faced with the problem of buying new vehicles, or quitting transportation servuces altogether. So, there’s another group of kids with no way to and from school — and no parents available to take them or pick them up, or they wouldn’t be in daycare to begin with before and after school.
I was wondering just what had MomGoose stirred up about this, since I seem to recall that she was one of those adamantly against any tax increase for any reason. Now, I guess I know.
August 7th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Netmom, what are allowed if vans use is discontinued? Busses? Does it make more sense to “them” that 3 kids ride on a full-sized bus to daycare than a smaller van? Who’s making these asinine rules, anyway?
Is the school board meeting closed to the public tonight? Would there be any use for parents to show up?
August 7th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
AT, I admire your passion, but I disagree with your view of the voting dynamic in Oak Ridge. While our council is holding the line on property tax increases, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem with council’s view of their “strategic plan,” in my humble opinion, is how utterly intractable they appear to be.
I am one of those folks that want a damn good, well-explained, thoroughly broadcasted, reason before my property taxes are increased. This bus fiasco, again IMHO, is just the type of issue that should cause city council to consider a property tax increase if need be.
This is where I think you miss the mark with your view of the voting dynamic. The folks that you think vote en masse to oppose property tax increases….don’t. They are certainly capable of making noise, but you can’t get the retired vote in this town off their shuffleboarding asses and to the polls to save your life. What you can do is carry a petition to their door and get them to sign anything that says their tax stability is threatened. Therein lies the threat for council.
Look AT, council is made up of people that were elected to office. They, city council, have had a scare or two regarding property tax increases and public noise. They haven’t, to this point, had a similar bomb go off regarding our school age youngsters that are forced to walk. Build a bigger bomb. (Metaphorically speaking of course…damn homeland security.)
BTW, I thought leg warmers were hot.
August 7th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
The school system has never provided transportation to daycare,
NM you might want to double check that. I have seen ORS buses at Haritage,OR Nursery, Sun Shine and the like. They were even transporting Boys and Girls Club. BTW this is Daddy Goose
August 7th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
I’m sure that its not happening this year but it happened in years past.
August 7th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Yeah, as a parent, you can put down any address to have your kid schlepped to, as long as it’s legit and there’s someone there to accept them (last part applies only to elem. school.) I know several parents who have kids going to a daycare or a babysitter after school.
However, you’re absolutely right about the kids depending on daycare transportation. Daycares will be hard-pressed to make any expensive changes to keep up with state mandates. Either they won’t make those changes, it’ll take several years to make the changes, or the cost of those changes will be passed on to parents who probably can’t afford an increase in daycare costs.
It’s really just a damn mess all around.
August 7th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
They wouldn’t use buses for 2 or 3 kids; a regular passenger vehicle is approved, so long as it’s less than 10 passenger capacity. More later, but see http://state.tn.us/humanserv/adfam/2007vehfaq.pdf for the regs.
August 7th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Sounds like horseshit to me. Is the state really saying that a cheesewagon is safer than a big assed commercial E350?
I don’t think so. I like the fact that they’ve got a big old prominent “Thomas” certification label on that link, makes me think thats what this is all really about.
August 7th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
NM: Years prior there was actually a bus “assigned” to go from the Preschool to the Daycares. Oh yea, and Van Hicks. Taxes or not, Why can no one explain how 5 new air conditioned buses were purchased in 2005-2006 and for 2006-2007 there is a deficite that is almost equal to the purchase of these buses (which haul the Football Team & the band to camp)? Meanwhile, our preschoolers sit on buses which heat up to 120* on 95* days and our Kindergarteners are WALKING! Where are our priorities? What makes the difference? What REALLY Happened to the budget? What was paid out that has not been told? Something is not panning out. There is no doubt, SOMEONE is digging for gold. Maybe we will all know the truth before long. Love the way Ms. Splinter & all sat the citizens straight on the budget contraversary. The Truth will set you free.
Peace
Leave things the way they are and the next prominent certification label will be ORS & LAIDLAW.
Some things just make you go HUMMM.