beach wants school data

I read through this article as well as the articles that were written about the special meeting that was held last week and for what it is worth, here is my humble opinion.

It looks like it is round two of the same ole same ole.

Once again the Town is demanding answers and the school either is stone-walling because they don't know the answers or are unwilling to share the answers.

This technique has not worked in the past to either get information (don't have the documentation needed to do the audit) or to get desired action (school division refuses to change to Town's accounting system).

The only thing that I see that is different this time around is that the Town is going to hire yet another outside entity to give advise on how to fix the books.

Maybe it is time to try something different. Rather than stand in the meeting room and call out threats to the other side, try some real communication. I realize that would take cooperation on both sides and neither side has really shown that they are good at cooperation.

Case in point--the ongoing feud between certain council members and the elected mayor which resulted in an eviction, no-trespassing notice and change in the agenda of the Town Council.

Another case in point--the inability for the current school board members to find one qualified person within the whole town that they could agree upon to replace Denson when he resigned and forced a judge to decide.

Maybe it is time for the voters to stand up and demand that our elected officials quit their political fighting and remember that they work for us, the voters.

That we are looking for them to be the leaders that they promised to be when they campaigned for our vote and start true communication that would result in resolution to these financial issues.

Last spring a committee to resolve the issues was tried but the members were politicians who have proven that they do not know how to cooperate.

That may have been the right approach, wrong committee membership.

If cooperation were the desired result, then a committee could be formed utilizing both staff from the School and Town as well as citizens in the community who have an understanding of accounting practices and procedures to aid in the communication between the two sides.

This is just one suggestion and I am sure that there are many others. I think that it is time that we start to look for real solutions to the problems that are facing Colonial Beach, starting with this one.

As residents of this town, I think that we need to look hard and long at the leadership of this town and demand that they rise above the petty political infighting or some of them may be looking for a new job next June.

As a resident, I want cooperation and resolution to the problems and not just more of the same.

What does the Mayor not being able to have an office in Town Hall have to do with the school and its fiscal disarray ? The majority voted TLC seems to me voters need to take some responsibility for who we elected to the school board to straigten these ongoing problems out.The school board seems to be having problems working together,I don,t know all the details but it looks like the school wants to operate in financial secrecy from the Town,Their are some big egos on the school board that don,t want to admit a mistake and try to blame Council.

Neeed Help wrote:

What does the Mayor not being able to have an office in Town Hall have to do with the school and its fiscal disarray ? The majority voted TLC seems to me voters need to take some responsibility for who we elected to the school board to straigten these ongoing problems out.The school board seems to be having problems working together,I don,t know all the details but it looks like the school wants to operate in financial secrecy from the Town,Their are some big egos on the school board that don,t want to admit a mistake and try to blame Council.

You are right about voters taking responsibility for the election result. The unfortunate part was the small turnout which resulted a just a few people voting them in.

I also agree with you that the school has a problem with financial disclosure as well as other financial problems like following proper financial policies and procedures.

Any solutions to this issue is going to take cooperation and communication between both the Town leadership and School leaderhip and that is where their actions (both sides) in the past have sent clear signals that they are not able to either cooperate with either themselves or each other.

I agree that ego is a big part of the problem with it comes to being able to work together.

At this point, I think we can all agree that there is a financial problem. I was just trying to get some dialog going to look for solutions that do not just involve pointing fingers.

its always this:

blah blah blah..........

Heard that the school has not provided the necessary information for the audit to be conducted. How can that be defended? I know that there's been a change-over in staff, but the law is the law.

By bunching everything together and saying every one needs to go and again replacing Town Manager Town Council And school board is wrong.It was done before with TlC and not all of TLC needs to go.Keep the ones that are doing a good job and replace the ones that are not.Removing the mayor was a good move,temp.closing castlewood was good Town School board is the one having the problem ,but not all of them are at faut.We need to look closer and keep the ones doing a good job in office and buid on that that way there will be some consistincy

It's funny how Tim Trivett knew everything that was wrong with the school finances BEFORE he was elected. Now that he's on the Board he seems to have forgotten. Sounds fishy to me.

Where's all the evidence he had a couple years ago when he kicked off all the State Police investigations?

He's dubbed in the newspapers as the "long-time critic" of Beach school finances.

Come on Timster! Provide the information that the Town wants. Put your money where your mouth is!

Or are you in a hole you just don't know how to get out of now?

I agree - after 1.5 years, there doesn't seem to be any improvement. I'm all for the schools, but why hasn't there been any improvement in their audit? Sounds like town hall got their act straight, for the most part, but I find it very disturbing that the school cannot even provide the necessary information to the auditors, much less provide a coherent response.

We have a town manager, a school board and a town treasurer. Who do not have a clue what is going on with the audit.
There is only one person in CB who can help. That is Linda Crandell. The good ole boy network does not like her personally, and they hate it that she is smarter than they are. She loves Colonial Beach and would do anything to get it on the right track. Give her a call, before its to late.

CrazyCrazy wrote:

We have a town manager, a school board and a town treasurer. Who do not have a clue what is going on with the audit.
There is only one person in CB who can help. That is Linda Crandell. The good ole boy network does not like her personally, and they hate it that she is smarter than they are. She loves Colonial Beach and would do anything to get it on the right track. Give her a call, before its to late.

She quits under pressure

see ya wrote:

<quoted text>She quits under pressure

That is not the way I remember her. She didn't quit when it came to saving Town Hill. Those old boys gave her a really tough time and what I remember is that she took it all and came up smiling. She had real integrity.

2008 FLS: Linda Crandell, who quit May 7, the day after she finished last in a race for mayor and her husband finished last in a run for a School Board...

the 2008 election will go down in infamy for being the worst election in Colonial Beach history. Look at who got elected! A lot of the problems that the Town and the School are now facing are directly related to who got elected in that election.

To me, it would be a badge of honor not to get elected in that election. Just think of how much better we would be if the ones that lost would have been elected.

CB Voter wrote:

the 2008 election will go down in infamy for being the worst election in Colonial Beach history. Look at who got elected! A lot of the problems that the Town and the School are now facing are directly related to who got elected in that election.
To me, it would be a badge of honor not to get elected in that election. Just think of how much better we would be if the ones that lost would have been elected.

My guess is They would have faced the same problems and came up with the same answers and been crucified by the public the same as always.

Most of the problems that the School Division is facing right now can be laid directly on TLC.

The Town Council has certainly been entertaining for the rest of the state as they laugh at the antics of the Mayor and Town Council.

Now T and C are feuding. Its going to get muddier when C returns. I am looking forward to her driving T crazier, if that is possible. L has no clue where he is, if T lets his hand go. Kennedy is useless. Patrice is the only one who has any sense and she is outnumberd and rendered useless.
T had all the answers before he was elected. His big mouth was at every council meeting telling them what was wrong and he could fix it.
Why is the State Police not doing its job. Its time for this fiasco to end.
Only 3 more years. YEAAA nothing bad could happen in 3 more years. Right ??????????

see ya wrote:

<quoted text>She quits under pressure

You have no clue what you are talking about. Check with Mayor Rummage and Mayor Bone.
I know its hard to believe that Mayor Rummage has a problem with women, especially women who are smarter than he is. Why should she put herself thru that for the huge salary she would get, and the beating from the citizens. Rummage would have done the same thing to her he did to the staff at town hall. Remember she resigned before he was kicked out of his office. She already knew he was a bully.

No comments just watchin. It was getting boring under my rock so I thought I'd come out and take a peek.

Observer wrote:

<quoted text>
You have no clue what you are talking about. Check with Mayor Rummage and Mayor Bone.
I know its hard to believe that Mayor Rummage has a problem with women, especially women who are smarter than he is. Why should she put herself thru that for the huge salary she would get, and the beating from the citizens. Rummage would have done the same thing to her he did to the staff at town hall. Remember she resigned before he was kicked out of his office. She already knew he was a bully.

So you are saying that She knew that Rummage was going to cause the taxpayers that elected Her problems and instead of staying and help correcting the problem She left and the new Council had to do it.If you are an elected Council it is not about the money its about principle.She Quit when things did't go Her way.

see ya, You sound like one of the old men who think women should take abuse and humiliation, to prove they are a guy
Guess what? Women can make a decision on what is best for her and her family, and the town.
Seems to me the men on council have a problem with our Mayor also.
The Mayor did not want to be Mayor anyway, ask him what he really wanted.