FB Star OP/ED: F.B.I.S.D. – A Dying District!

--We found this recent piece in the FB Star. It seems to speak volumes about misinformation coming from the district & current and exiting board members:

F.B.I.S.D. – A Dying District!

Unless you have been out of the country for the last few months, you are aware that our school district is eighteen million dollars in the red. I remember not too many years ago we were an excellent school district. That was then, and now we are going down the tubes.

How did this happen you ask? Our esteemed board president said the State of Texas was to blame. Let’s ask districts like Katy, Stafford, Lamar, Alief and many many more and see how these districts landed on their feet.

Our board president’s assessment of the problem is “hogwash.”

When I first got married , my dad told me, “son, never spend more than you make.” Our Board and superintendent missed Economics 101. This extreme spending is going to cost many innocent teachers and staff their jobs. The innocent will have to pay for what the guilty did!

What is the answer to this very serious problem? We, as concerned citizens, must weed out these bad apples. We can begin this in earnest on May 8th when we go to the polls to vote for new board members.

A New school board that cares about our kids, and a new superintendent who knows the meaning of wise spending will go a long way in healing the wound.

Thanks,
Fred Lee

FBN Release: All should contribute to solve budget problems including administration, says Alumbaugh

FBISD Board Candidate: Administration Needs To Make Cuts Too
By: Jamie Mock on Thu, Mar 18, 2010News

Fort Bend Independent School District Position 3 candidate Clay Alumbaugh says he is running for the seat because the board needs an “experienced educator and manager” to give it some “balance” as the district struggles with its third deficit budget in a row.

Alumbaugh

Alumbaugh, a math teacher and school counselor, will face program construction manager Jim Rice (a FBISD district vendor company executive) to replace Board President Bob Broxson, who will not be running for a second term.

“After 39 years experience in the field, I believe I have what it takes to get the FBISD budget back on track after nearly 3 consecutive years of first ever record deficits,” said Alumbaugh. “The board should first be about educating our children and that can only be done if our system is not in constant financial turmoil. This may mean making some tough decisions ultimately but we can’t put this off any longer, said the candidate.”

Alumbaugh said his current concerns are the district’s deficit spending, upcoming layoffs, the decision to not consider seniority in the layoffs, the Global Science Center and the “lack of someone on the board to ask questions.”

Get the full release at: http://www.fortbendnow.com/2010/03/18/44634

Campaign site: http://friendsofalumbaugh.blogspot.com/

Chron (Metro): Budget Crisis Deepens!

Follow: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6914615.html

FB Independent update: http://fbindependent.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2385&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2531&hn=fbindependent&he=.com

Exclusive: According To Several Reliable Sources Another Trustee Is Pulling Out Of The School Board Race!

Chron update 3-16: http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/03/fbisd-board-incumbent-quits-reelection-bid

http://www.fortbendnow.com/2010/03/16/44561

FB Indep update 3-19: http://fbindependent.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2384&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2531&hn=fbindependent&he=.com

According to several strong sources, it has been reported to FBISDWatch that the current position 7 incumbent, David Reitz, will not be seeking re-election. This leaves James Babb and Gerald Hawkins still in. As many of you know the district declared a financial emergency after 3 years of consecutive record budget deficits and nearly 1.7 billion in bond debt. Ranking it in the top ten in the state for this unwanted list. This is breaking news so we will update it as it comes in.

Update: http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/03/15/fort_bend_sun/news/sws_-_david_reitz_315.txt

....stay tuned for more!

Chron: Richard Raymond Endorses Nina Schaefer In Fort Bend County District Attorneys Race!

Get update here: http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/03/endorsement-schaefer

FB Star: Covers Local Municipal and School Board Elections

http://www.fortbendstar.com/031010/n_candidate.htm

and projected transportation cuts


http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/03/fbisd-less-bus-service-more-walking-saver

Chron: Template For Job Cuts On The Table For FBISD-

Fort Bend ISD OKs blueprint for job cuts
March 9, 2010 7:39 am Zen T.C. Zheng

The Fort Bend school board Monday night voted 6-1 to pass a resolution to declare “financial exigency,” a bureaucratic term for financial emergency that calls for immediate remedies.

It came after a lengthy afternoon workshop and an extended debate during the evening business meeting.

Daniel Menendez was the only dissenter on the board, insisting on delaying making that decision to allow for thorough evaluation of the district’s plan to trim its workforce.

The resolution was drafted by David Feldman, an attorney hired by the district who told trustees that the resolution is a blueprint for personnel cuts and is necessary before any cut is made so as to reduce the chances of costly legal hearings on employee non-renewals...

Article: http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/03/fbisd-okd-blueprint-job-cuts

More: http://www.fortbendnow.com/2010/03/09/44411

Also: http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2010/03/five-vy-two-fbisd-seats