Last night I attended the above meeting. First let me say, can you turn down the heat? Why is the library always so hot? On to the meeting. The numbering refers to the assigned number on the agenda.
5. Financial presented by Business Manager Yolanda Austin: The public was handed a Financial Report listing the various accounts held at First Security Bank. All accounts were listed as an interest baring account. All accounts were shown earning an interest rate of 0.25%. Let's take a look at the first account: "Accounts Payable Clearing." The bank balance as of Nov 2014 was $176,579.41. 0.25% of this number is $44,144.85. And yet the interest earned in Nov is listed at $60.64. Hmmm...
Here's the rub: No one seemed to notice this error until the Public Comments when I pointed it out. When I brought this to the attention of the Board and the Superintendent, BS Chandler said the percentage was correct. Then he realized the percentage was not correct and said the percentage was supposed to be 0.0025%. Then Chandler said the percentage was a quarter of a percent. A quarter of a percent is 0.00025%. At this point, the Business Manager spoke with Chandler and we were told this was a bank error. Really? You still didn't recognize the error.
Note: If you are trying to multiply the account balance by 0.00025% and you are not coming up with $60.64 don't be alarmed. The interest is paid on average balance not ending balance.
Update: I am not going to remove the above because I believe this to be an accurate record of what happened at the meeting on 10 Dec 2014. The following is corrected information.
On Thu following the meeting Ms. Austin called me to let me know the above information in this post is wrong concerning the 0.25%. We could not come to an agreement as to how the 0.25% was to be calculated. That is, is this annual or simple interest. I said that I would ask Michael Thompson if the 0.25% was stated correctly on the report. As I now understand it and have learned is that by showing the percentage sign (%) after the number (0.25) it is understood to be the annual percentage rate (APR) and in this case earned interest. Had the % sign been left off, it would be understood to be simple interest. So, there you have it sports fans. The entry on the report is correct.
7. Consent Items: Board member Marilyn Young had added Rev. McKinley Daley to the agenda before the agenda was approved and accepted. I understood from the discussion that Rev. Daley was cleared and reinstated as of 10 Dec 2014. Chandler said he would be listed as a new employee. Board member Tomaka Cotton said it was a given if Rev. Daley was being reinstated, he was due all back pay and benefits.
10. Public Comments: After having the discussion with the Board and Superintendent about the Financial Report, I asked the Board and the Superintendent how many National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) were employed in Tunica County. The answer was zero but it is being considered. Considered? Just do it. Geez, what is it going to take for this District to get a move on?
From the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, I read the following statement from their entry for Mississippi:
"Research shows that the students of Board-certified teachers outperform their peers in other classrooms on achievement tests and that schools and districts with a high concentration of NBCTs see marked improvements in school culture, collaboration and teacher retention."
In 2013-2014, MS added 198 NBCTs for a total of 3,740 NBCTs. According to the National Board's MS information, our top five school districts employ the following NBCTs:
Rankin County: 182
Desoto County: 133
Madison County: 123
Jackson Public Schools: 119
Tupelo Public Schools: 111
Okay, end of this subject..
Next, I asked for clarification of our current District rating because both "D" and "F" are being reported. We learned that as of 9 Dec 2014 TCSD is a "D" when adjusted for Common Core. As a citizen of Tunica County I voiced my objection to the $15,000 raise awarded to BS Chandler for a job poorly done.
End of reporting...
So, here's the deal Tunica: We keep electing Superintendents when we need to be hiring the best we can afford. When will this County stand-up and say enough? We have been paying for a Cadillac and taking delivery on a broken down, out dated car for far too long. When this Superintendent knows we need NBCTs and he hasn't hired any? This is just unacceptable.
As for me, I don't want to see anymore of your charts and graphs. For the money we are paying, I want to see a highly rated school system and not just for the sake of our children but for the sake of the economic improvement of our County.
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