September 13, 2009

CISD’s Strategic Plan Against the Taxpayers
By Harold Gentry

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Sir Walter Scott.

CISD insists that the Strategic Planning Committee is not about a bond issue, but it is. CISD has geared up to pass another bond issue, plain and simple, and they have already spent $90,167.70 of your money just to begin their campaign.

You as taxpayers have already funded CISD’s bond planning by paying Cambridge Strategic Planning Services to the tune of $49,750. Add to that another $20,000 for the Center for Quality Leadership facility study and another $20,417.27 for the TASB demographics, capacity and staffing study. Your total stake, or CISD’s take, so far is $90,167.70. Please don’t be alarmed. Just open your wallet because more will be required of you in the near future.

The Strategic Planning Committee is a group of 25 local people appointed by CISD. Many of those selected get a paycheck from CISD. Each school board member was given the opportunity to submit names for the committee. Wendell Dempsey submitted 15 names. Only one was chosen. We do not criticize the committee members for being selected, but we note the cunning with which CISD chose to begin this so-called community process by selecting people who are directly under the influence of CISD.

The Strategic Planning Committee has now met, under the careful orchestration and guidance of the Cambridge Strategic Planning Services, and members are seeking to “make their vision come true… with help from fellow community stakeholders,” to quote Lisa Magers’ press release for CISD. (See http://www.CleburneArea.info/CISDNews)

A bond issue is the only way to finance the long range plans, visions and goals dreamed up by the Strategic Planning Committee. The help that CISD wants from citizens (or stakeholders, as they call us) is simply more of our hard- earned tax dollars. Even in these tough economic times when our national unemployment rate is at 9.7%, over 6.9 million lucky stakeholders are out of a job, and local Cleburne sales tax collections are down 31%, our school district is constantly looking for ways to spend more.

Taxpayers, in case you doubt that this is all about a bond issue, go to Cambridge’s website at http://www.cambridgestrategics.com/index.html. There you can get a full self-indoctrination course and read about Cambridge, who claims a 75% success rate at passing school bonds. Here is what Cambridge says about their school bond planning services – “While some aspects of a bond program may be guided by statistics, such as enrollments, capacities and costs, others are a function of district policies and instructional philosophies, as well as community beliefs and perceptions. Bond planning, if performed correctly, should be a painstakingly tedious but rewarding process, one we believe requires a third party to objectively facilitate the involvement of all the right people and processes. To begin, a school system should carefully study the strategic plan, and compile the necessary data, including such things as facilities assessments, demographic projections, capacity studies, and financial implications. And second, a Citizens Bond Committee made up primarily of community members should be formed to review the data, tour facilities, develop a plan and present it to the Board of Trustees. A community-driven plan will carry more weight with voters than would a district-driven plan. Cambridge helps clients navigate their way through successful bond planning experiences.”

Do you need more proof that CISD’s plan is all about a bond issue?

The facility study as presented by Dr. Hooper has already stated that we need to sell off the old Irving and Santa Fe schools, completely replace Cook and Coleman with new facilities, freshen up Fulton and build a new football stadium. The CQL facility study is the foundation for the Strategic Planning Committee’s vision. Once they have been fully indoctrinated by Cambridge, the Strategic Planning Committee members and Action Team leaders as facilitators will go out into the community to build support for their dreams, visions and goals. The support the school district wants from you comes in one form…your MONEY.

I too have an accountability vision, and I won’t charge you $90,167.70 for it. Write and tell your legislators about this free accountability vision from the taxpayers. It’s simply this: “Those who use the public school system should pay for the system. When your kid graduates from high school your school taxes go to zero. Less money to waste on visions and dreams will force educrats to use that money for only services that will benefit the education of all children.” When this plan is enacted, the popular mega-mall learning centers and stadiums that today are driven by ego and envy will quickly evaporate like a dream from the past.

I will have to admit that incorporating the kids into the SPC committee makeup was a brilliant part of the CSP strategic plan. But one day even our kids will have to wake up from that dream and realize the staggering amount of the bill we have left for them to pay.

Taxpayers, call School Board members and tell them NO to a school bond now. Tell them to use some common sense and start maintaining the schools we’ve already bought.

If history repeats itself I am sure CISD will spend even more of our money and bring a bond issue anyway, and it will once again come to telling them NO with my VOTE.