The Sandhills Files: Moore Co. school board member sounds off on Innovative High School
We told you earlier about the costs of this project beginning to sky-rocket even before the first load of dirt is turned. The stories keep changing about the alleged purpose of this school — as does the actual scope of construction. (We’ve heard about an amphitheater, a lake, a new road, an athletic field, and two buildings, among other things.) Keep in mind that this all got started with a surprise $25 million *gift* from Moore County’s legislators, Rep. Neal Jackson and senator Tom McInnis.
All of you outside Moore County should keep an eye on this story. Raleigh sources are telling us the Moore school is a “pilot” project meant to be replicated from Murphy to Manteo in coming years.
A pep rally / PR event happened on the Sandhills campus Friday. The “School” is already functioning within the confines of the college’s Van Dusen Hall — making it extra unclear as to the necessity of new construction.
In the midst of all of these questions and concerns, Moore County Board of Education member David Hensley appears to be our only elected leader asking pertinent questions and raising appropriate concerns:
25 million from the NCGA via Jackson and McInnis and a Larry Caddell appointment. (Insider reward). And to think I cannot even get a traffic control light at the corner of 15-501 Savannah Garden Drive in order to save some lives.
The real issue with this story is that it illustrates the shadow “crony” government in action, how far their tentacles reach, and how far their planning went in their attempted fleecing the public and that education and fiscal responsibility were not in their priorities.
First, let’s talk about the shadow government.
The entire idea of the Innovative High School (HIS) was hatched and executed by state level elected officials, one or more member of the Community College board, one or more member of the MCS central office, one or more members of the SCC administration, and one or more local quasi-government board. (One would think that members of the Central Office and SCC would have felt an obligation to tell the board as a whole of this important but secret issue, but that did not happen. Wonder who they think they work for???)
You will note that the following organizations where specifically NOT consulted:
#1. The School Board, who oversees MCS and who has direct responsibility for K-12 education. NOT CONSULTED.
#2. The County Commissioners, who have direct responsibility in local funding, to include construction funding, to both Moore County Schools and Sandhills Community College. NOT CONSULTED
#3. The Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees as a whole. NOT CONSULTED (It is interesting to note that although several members of the Board of Trustees knew, they did not share, nor did they attempt to discuss, an important issue such as this with the board at large.)
So, in hatching their plot, they did not consult the elective officials who have legal, financial, and fiduciary responsibility over the institutions their plot affected.
Had they consulted us, we would not have shot the plan down. Rather, we would have made suggestions on how to improve the plan by implementing it more effectively and/or efficiently. For example, it could have been built in conjunction with Moore County’s new high school. That would have been much more efficient to run and would have saved the Moore County taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in duplicative construction costs.
But as we shall see, doing things efficiently and effectively was not their goal.
Let’s take a look at several other things which occurred around the same time the state funding was announced.
VERY shortly after this money was announced, Sandhills Community college pulled out detailed site plans for an ambitious addition to the Eastern part of their campus which included an amphitheater, hiking trails, lakes, and wouldn’t you know, a gold-plated Innovative High School campus. Those plans were not developed overnight and clearly indicate prior knowledge of the plan and coordination with decision makers (again, neither board knew…who do these staffs work for is a question both boards should be asking).
Although I am not aware of any construction estimates for that plan, with all the site work and amphitheater, the plan clearly would cost well over $100 million to construct. All without asking either the School Board of County Commissioners for input.
Around the same time, the Moore County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (who call themselves the “Pinehurst, Aberdeen and Aberdeen Area Visitors Bureau” as if they don’t want to be associated with the rest of Moore County) decided they wanted to double the occupancy tax. Doubling the occupancy tax would generate an additional four million dollars per year, money which could be spent on things such as, say an amphitheater. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?
Clearly the people who hatched this plan expected everyone in Moore County to look at the $100+ million plan with $25 million in seed money and line up behind to support the construction with county tax money and/or a bond issue…without even consulting any of the stakeholders, to include the public.
Fortunately, but the School Board held tight with our pre-existing construction priorities ($400 million worth of unfunded school construction and renovation) and the County Commissioners refused to fund the boondoggle created by others.
Once the people behind this at Sandhills Community College realized that THEY would have to pay for the balance of the construction by using part of their $40 million endowment or raising the money, they suddenly got frugal. Gone was the ambitious $100+ million plan with the amphitheater. Instead, they proposed more modest buildings constructed at the site of the SCC baseball stadium** because it is adjacent to existing utilities, already has a parking lot, and would require little site work.
So, when they were expecting to fleece the taxpayer, they had ambitions and expensive plans on which to spend TAXPAYER money. Once their plans were exposed and fell apart, they got frugal with THEIR money.
See how this works, and why thinking people are unhappy with this?
We aren’t unhappy with the concept of the IHS we would have embraced it. We are unhappy with the scheme, most of which had little to do with education and everything to do with power, cronyism, and empire building….all of course they wanted to do with taxpayer money.
Sorry, not while I am on the School Board as I represent The People.