Taxpayers Claim Carmel Schools Need More Transparency
Limited transparency provided plenty of talk during the open community forum Tuesday night at George Fischer Middle School, hosted by the Carmel Board of Education.
Community members that attended the forum were split into four groups that included curriculum and instruction, communication/school safety/transportation, budget/finance and facilities, and instructional technology. Each group went to a separate classroom to discuss the chosen category. Once the four groups were done meeting, a representative from each group spoke in front of all the attending members to relay what each group discussed.
The Putnam Examiner sat in during the budget/finance facilities group, which focused on what the Carmel school district can do in order to get budgets and referendums approved in the future. Many of the members in the discussion were critical of how the school district handled the bond referendum for $5 million to fund capital improvements at Carmel High School, which was ultimately voted down by residents by a 2:1 ratio on Oct. 5.
Many of the residents during the discussion felt the school board was trying to sneak through the referendum, which would have gone toward a new turf field, bleachers, resurfacing of the track, a new fitness center and the replacement of an old boiler.
Stefanie Mount, who is a community member and was in the budget group said it seemed the board tried to “stack the vote” in favor of passing the capital project. Mount, among others in the room didn’t like that the board only had one polling district, which was at Carmel High School and that it was held on a Friday, the same day as a home football school.
Overall, during regular budget years, Mount also wants more transparency.
“What seems to happen at budget time, it’s all doom and gloom, all sports are going to get cut, teachers are going to get laid off,” Mount said. “And then the community comes out and screams and yells and says ‘no, no, no” and miraculously it all comes back.”
Mount did add that in some cases, that’s dependent on when the district finds out what state aid they receive.
Monica Marsich, who spoke for the budget and financial group at the meeting said her group wanted clarification and reduction of soft cost and the reversal of deceit. She said the underlying message form everyone in the room was they wanted a “true conversation with real dialogue between the board and the community.”
Superintendent of Schools James Ryan said the school board, which hold meetings twice a month speaks openly and besides meetings “it doesn’t really do that much conversation.” He said that community members that don’t attend meetings regularly, might feel it isn’t as transparent as they want it to be.
Ryan said he felt the district did a great job putting together a responsible bond, looking at the external and internal needs of high school. Regarding the referendum, Ryan said the one polling station and holding it on a Friday during a school event was in order to get higher participation.
“In the end we tried to be the care taker of the public dollar and make sure we’re spending that responsibly,” Ryan said.
Ryan said, using pubic comments, the district and board will try to shape the new capital project that’s a “win-win.”
The other three groups also voiced comments from their hour-long discussion.
For instructional technology, the group wanted an emphasis on bringing 21st century tools to Carmel classrooms and updating the technology plan that school has, which is a few years old.
For communication/ school safety/transportation, the group wanted all teachers to participate in the home access site that’s used to list homework and project deadline and current grades. Additionally, the group thought clarifying contact information would be valuable as well. In regards to safety, many community members had a concern with high school students crossing Fair St, a usually bustling road.
As for curriculum and instruction, reading and literacy was a major part of the curriculum group members advocated for, while the group didn’t have any course or instruction they would want to see cut.
The next step to make the open forum a productive one is for the school board to look into what each group suggested and attempt implement them within reason, including the new bond proposal, Ryan said.
