Kelly won’t support tax increase
I thought y’all would be interested in this article that ran today in the Spartanburg Herald Journal.
State Rep. Joey Millwood on Thursday introduced a bill calling for an independent audit of school districts across the state, as well as the Department of Education.
Millwood said Spartanburg School District 7 was not the sole inspiration for the bill, but its recently announced $325,000 deal with the Country Club of Spartanburg spurred him to put the legislation on the fast track.
“The things that have transpired in District 7 show the need for an independent audit,” said Millwood, R-Landrum. “Somebody has got to step up and look out for the teachers and the taxpayers.”
Millwood said District 7′s agreement with the country club – $200,000 up front and $5,000 a year for 25 years – and the addition of an assistant superintendent at $170,000 per year were out of line when teachers were being forced to buy their own supplies.
“I think there’s waste, and I think District 7 has opened a can of worms,” Millwood said. “All these rants and raves about all these districts being broke aren’t valid, and I think District 7 proves that. An independent auditor will dig into everything and show where the money goes.”
More than 30 co-sponsors have signed on to the bill, but none from the Spartanburg County delegation.
Rep. Keith Kelly, R-Woodruff, said he questions where the funding would come from for the audit. The bill requires the General Assembly to appropriate the money, but doesn’t specify a dollar amount.
“There’s no money to pay for this enormously expensive audit in this economy and with the budget crisis we’re facing,” Kelly said. “Unless he’s planning to raise taxes, this is just another unfunded mandate from Columbia. And I won’t support a tax increase.”
Kelly said the state’s Legislative Audit Council is “capable and willing” to perform any audit.
District 7 Superintendent Thomas White said the district undergoes an audit each year, with the results reported to trustees and the state department’s finance office. But he said he would not be opposed to the additional scrutiny.
“If he can get that bill through and they pay for it, I don’t mind if we have another audit,” White said.
Millwood also said the district’s agreement with a private country club makes the argument that taxpayer dollars can’t be used to send children to private schools ring hollow.
“They say they can’t give public dollars to private schools, but they’re giving money to a private country club,” Millwood said. “Are Thomas White and the District 7 board now saying they support school choice?”
White called Millwood’s contention “ludicrous.” He said school districts deal with private companies all the time – such as heating and air conditioning companies, furniture suppliers, and transportation providers for school-sponsored trips.
“This is a very thinly veiled attempt to score points for tuition tax credits and vouchers,” White said. “We contract with private enterprises all the time, and in all situations the funds are spent on public school students with accountability back to the local trustees. It’s critical that we maintain the use of public funds on public school students.”
By Robert W. Dalton
GoUpState.com
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I believe we need an audit. Where’s all the money going.