Readers question county school system's spending

Dear Editor,

While I have the greatest respect and appreciation for [Midlothian School Board member] Dr. [Jim] Schroeder, I have to take issue with the logic in his commentary in the Mar. 28 issue concerning retaining the higher tax rate.

The first point is that permitting the real The first point is estate taxes to rise with property valuations is necessary to preserve a quality education. This is making the assumption that in the entirety of the county budget, all other budget allocations are essential and efficiently used. Over the past several years, we have seen an increase in county employees that dwarfs the increase in inflation and population - even the population increases from runaway development within the county.

Using the "yellow pages test," which is looking at many county services that perform the same functions as companies listed in the yellow pages, one has to wonder if adding employees, along with the attendant equipment and management is really the most cost effective way to get things done. Beyond this, we the taxpayers of the county, are told that the county needs the money for education and transportation, but this is only after money is allocated for all sorts of other projects that hang below the radar of the public and press. If education and transportation were really the top priorities, as we are told, money should be allocated there first, not after all the other pork has been distributed (yes, there is even pork at the county level).

The second problem is the cost and [location] of the schools. This is a problem shared with the Board of Supervisors as many decisions have been deferred to them for various reasons - few of which having to do with the county charter. We are looking at almost $90 million for a high school. I'm expecting to see gold plated faucets in the lavatories of this building! I agree that "Excellence has a cost," but am asking our public officials to recognize that they are working with the dollars earned by people who work for a living or are retired. There is a responsibility to do the most with each dollar and not just keep asking for more. This means taking a big picture view of the county and its needs. This may mean cutting back on less essential projects to fund the more essential. These are tough decisions sometimes, but that is what people sign up for when they run for office, and what we, as citizens, expect from those who hold themselves out to possess this capability.

Larry Miller

Chesterfield County

Dear Editor,

The issue isn't whether to build a new Clover Hill High School, [but] rather waste and abuse of tax dollars involving the construction of schools, and in particular, the cost of $92 million to build one new school.

I was asked by Brenda Stewart to analyze several documents pertaining to the construction of Cosby [High School] and the new Clover Hill High School on Genito Road. Her concern is that there was waste and abuse of tax dollars in the contracting and construction of both schools - which were twins at conception.

She asked that I review the documents in light of my background as a former senior officer in the Defense Investigative Service, and as a district commander of an Army Criminal Investigative Division.

After reviewing the document trail, I believe that there is reasonable belief that waste and abuse is present as defined by the Code of Virginia, to wit:

1. The careless expenditure and mismanagement of financial resources to include inappropriate expenditures, and

2. By incurring unnecessary costs as a result of inefficient practices and controls.

The causative factors appear to be: a wellintentioned, but incompetent Chesterfield County Public School system bureaucracy regarding contracting and procurement activities.

Questionable relationships that may have led to contract steering and firms being allowed to limit access by others to fully participate in the contracting business, resulting in Chesterfield County paying extraordinary prices for school construction.

And a decided lack of oversight on behalf of Chesterfield County officials.

The contractors involved do not appear to be at fault. Rather, in the best spirit and practice of capitalism, they legally milked the proverbial "cash cow" and profited from a multitude of bad decisions on behalf of Chesterfield County government officials.

I have prepared a primer which highlights issues from the documents that I have seen and identifies 18 functional areas that should be investigated and audited. This Board of Supervisors has the responsibility to ensure the integrity of governmental operations. Therefore, I strongly recommend:

First, that the board fund an independent investigation and audit in order to resolve the many issues surrounding the construction of the Cosby and Genito high schools. The transactions are interlocking, and both must be investigated as a whole.

Second, that the board commits to building a new Clover Hill High School only after a comprehensive investigation and audit has been conducted, and resolution of the issues that results.

The Chesterfield County school system is suffering systematic failure in the contracting process. This has wasted millions of tax dollars, and if allowed to go unchecked, will even jeopardize school bonds which have been passed. The potential savings alone on the proposed Clover Hill High School at Genito Road is in the range of $20- 30 million.

Ronald Hall

Colonel, USA-Ret.

Clover Hill District

Dear Editor,

Recently, my wife and I attended the all county band concert at the new Cosby High School. It was a very good experience seeing and hearing the best from all Chesterfield middle schools perform. The music directors and staff did an excellent job.

One thing that caught our attention was the school itself. Being from central and southern Chesterfield, we had no idea the county was pouring that kind of resources into schools serving the upper earners who predominate the area served. With thousands of Chesterfield students being housed in trailers, how can the county justify the frills and expensive appointments? I also looked at the athletic fields with the extensive lighting system. A school's first duty is to provide a quality setting for learning - not having top quality facilities for sports for some and ignoring the learning environment in trailers for others. How many classrooms could have been built for what these facilities cost? Could it be the county is biased in school funding in favor of the upscale neighborhoods?

I believe that if some of the frills and scaled down appointments had been made that money could have been utilized for adding classrooms for some of the other schools overflowing at the seams. The citizens in the central and southern parts of Chesterfield are being shortchanged by the School Board and Board of Supervisors. It's time for citizens to rectify the situation with both boards next election.

O. H. Jackson

North, VA