Friday, July 25, 2014

Joplin Globe: Athletics have nothing to do with school district's long-term debt

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education voted 5-1, with Debbie Fort casting the dissenting vote, Tuesday to go into long-term debt to cover $8 million in what CFO Paul Barr referred to at the May board meeting as "might-as-well" spending."

The Joplin Globe reporter attended that meeting and never wrote a word about the things that Barr said were covered by this "might-as-well" spending, which included the following:

-Four tennis courts

-Lighting for all athletic fields

-Artificial turf for all athletic fields

-A track at the high school so the students would not have to travel to Junge Stadium

These items were never mentioned in the Globe article about that meeting.

As the Turner Report noted in the coverage of this Tuesday's meeting, when the long-term financing was brought up again, there was no mention of "might-as-well" spending and suddenly the $8 million was not for any athletic items.

Debbie Fort mentioned the tennis courts, or athletics would have been totally left out of the equation.

The cover-up had already begun.

The discussion was not featured in the Joplin Globe's article about the meeting in its Wednesday edition, but the long-term financing is the subject of an article that will be in Saturday's edition and has already been posted on the Globe's website.

Reporter Emily Younker writes the following:

Examples of projects that will be paid through the funds are additional square footage at the high school, East Middle School, and Soaring Heights Elementary School; the mitigation of mining-related problems uncovered during construction at the high school and Irving Elementary school sites, with set the district back about $6 million; and upgrades of building materials, such as roofing and heating/cooling systems, said Paul Barr, chief financial officer.

That was not what Paul Barr said at the May meeting, a meeting which is shown on the accompanying video.

Apparently, the official story is that no athletic projects are involved in the long-term debt and no such thing as "might-as-well" spending exists.

Better check out the video before someone gives the order to edit it.

We sure won't ever hear about it from the Joplin Globe.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Until these last few months I have never been a fan of Randy Turner's work, but that has all changed. With his writing about the atrocities are going on with the Joplin School District and with Mike Woolston and Wallace-Bajali he has become the moral conscience of Joplin. He has been everything the Joplin Globe and our local radio and television stations should be and more.

Anonymous said...

Minus Debbie Fort the school board is a joke with CJ Huff being the biggest joke. He needs to find a job in another city!

Anonymous said...

What I cannot believe is why in the world has the citizens of Joplin not stepped up and said enough is enough. I find it hard to believe that Joplin has just decided to roll over and take this. You look across the stateline and see the citizens uniting for a cause they believe in. Where is the citizens of Joplin? Why are you not taking a stand? Apparently the citizens have decided to take the motto "might as well" and gave up the fight.

Did we give up on you when you suffered such a tragedy 3 years ago? NO! We came and gave. We all lost people we knew and this is such a shame that you are forgetting where you came from and what you once believed in.

Why in the world are you allowing for 20 years of debt to pay for CJ's list of must halves? When will you be brave enough citizens of Joplin and take a stand and same NO MORE! Its our school district and we want it back!

Anonymous said...

6:01
When you live in a culture of fear and abuse, you try not to make too much noise.
You're right, we need to stand up for our schools (and our town). As far as the schools go, it will take every parent in the district standing up and saying "NO MORE." No more waste, no more tests, no more bullies which means no more Huff and Co.

Anonymous said...

Everything about these people makes me feel kind of sick. The showcase might have some sweet children, but they are being exploited to show that the great leader cares. The showcase is nothing other than a distraction to cover up the destruction.

They lie as easily as they breathe, and they assume everyone is too stupid to know the difference. It will take a governing body higher than the local board to get this mess cleaned up, because the board is either too dumb or too complicit to change things. A member of the board moving her child to another district to play ball, but still thinks she should get to serve on the board, is a perfect example of their arrogance. Another sneaks in bids under the name of false businesses. The super is apparently guilty of not declaring the income he has taken in exploiting a tragic situation. He has destroyed academics and morale, threatened and bullied, and misappropriated funds. And he is still employed. They have no personal standards and therefore no professional ethics. It is past time for an outside body to step in and take over. We cannot keep losing time with our children's education. I'm thinking parents should look into a class action lawsuit for damages. The data is there for the whole world to see.

Anonymous said...

10:13
As for the Board member moving her daughter will we see the other district make her sit out a year since it is a sports related move according to MSHSAA rules?

Anonymous said...

This loan business isn't going to be the end of the problem. You watch and see. It'll just be the beginning. They won't stop until there isn't a dime left to this town.

Anonymous said...

The Joplin Schools Board of Education needs to be renamed the Professional Liars Club. They deserve to go to jail for what they are doing to the public.

Anonymous said...

>>>Another sneaks in bids under the name of false businesses.

Post some details or send them to Turner. If this allegation is true and factual then it should be exposed.