watchdog

Saturday, April 25, 2009

IT IS ALL ABOUT JOBS, EDUCATION IS SECONDARY, LOOK AT THE FIGURES

I have been studying the various school systems for months such as Nashville, Louisville, Memphis and Shelby County. I have been going through the budgets and reports. Finally, someone suggested I look at the student population, number of employees, the budgets and the CPI from 10 years ago (1998) and compare them with 2008. Bingo!!

Here is all you need to know about the Memphis City School System (MCS). Yesterday when I first published these figures I had the student population at the MCS as 110,000. I since found out that Dr. Cash confirmed in a Flyer article that the figure is 103,000 and this was confirmed by a School System executive. This then shows a 5.6% decrease over ten years in student population but a 54% increase in employees and a 69% increase in budget.

Memphis City Schools

Year 1998

Year 2008

% difference

number of students K12

109137

103000

-5.60%

number of employees

10693

16500

54%

general fund budget

$550,147,000

$931,966,000

69%

CPI up over 10 years

31%


It is obvious that the objective of the MCS system is not education, it is jobs. The control and the increase of jobs is what gives politicians power. Minus 5.6% decrease in students over 10 years but 54% increase in employees. There is no excuse. The results of the system are abysmal. On top of this fiscal outrage in employment is the cost of new schools for a static school population which has seen a huge increase in the debt of Shelby County.

One answer is to cut the employment and cut deep. Another is reform of the system. Moreover we need competition. We need an educational experiment. Let's take half of the average cost per student, $4500, and offer it to the families of students to buy an education at a qualified private school and take the other $4500 and add it to the budget of the MCS. This would give the MCS more money per student and then let's track the performance of those students who leave for private schools and see the results versus the MCS.

I have attached the MCS documents to verify the above figures. Now is the budget making cycle at the City and the County. Call your City Councilman, your County Commissioner and your school board representative. Let your voice be heard.

Click here to see the backup documentation for these figures


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

ON WHAT IS THE TENNESSEE STIMULUS BEING SPENT?

Recently there was an article detailing a committee set up by both Mayors to oversee the stimulus spending in Memphis and Shelby County. In talking to one of the members of the committee and looking at the website, no details were posted as promised on the following website. http://memphistn.gov/stimulus/default.aspx. I then went to the state website http://www.tnrecovery.gov/032509-TN-Allocation-Summary.pdf and found the following information which I put into a spreadsheet. I have attached the spreadsheet and organized the money into social programs (non stimulative) and other programs that could stimulate business. In looking at the spreadsheet, I found that 80% of the almost $4.5 billion dollars for Tennessee are for social programs that in no way promote business recovery. Look at the spreadsheet and if you want to get further information about any particular program, go to the state website link above and read a further description of what the money for each particular program is intended to do. e.g. Under education there is $194 million for Title 1 Grants to LEAs. The explanation is to provide funding grants to Local Educations Agencies (LEA’S) for basic school expenditures. Available in school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
What this all amounts to is borrowing taxpayer money to fill in for the expected shortfall during the next two years in the hope that the economy will recover and the stimulus money will not be needed after that time. Borrowing, instead of cutting the budget and becoming more efficient. What a terrible business strategy.


Click here to see a spreadsheet detailing how 80% of the over $4 billion for Tennessee is welfare and only 20% will help business

WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE SHELBY COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE?

Last week I sent out an email and published a blog posting detailing my frustration with the City of Memphis Auto Inspection process. It seems I hit a sensitive nerve as I got lots of responses. Here are the main points that were made in your replies.


1) There is no need to inspect new cars in the first four years of their use.
2) Why inspect only City of Memphis cars if County cars outside of Memphis are not inspected?
3) The whole process should be done away with as the inspection process is a waste of money and is just intended to create city jobs.
4) Turn the inspection process over to private service stations.


Then I sent an open records request to the Shelby County Clerk’s office as follows.


HERE IS MY REQUEST


Ms. Debbie Stamson, County Clerk
150 Washington Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Dear Ms. Stamson,


In accordance with instructions and as a taxpayer of the Shelby County, I would like to inspect the municipal documents in accordance with the Tennessee Open Records Law that contain the following specific information.


1) I want to inspect your records and documents that show how many licensed vehicles have owner registrations at Memphis addresses and how many have addresses outside of Memphis but in Shelby County.The period should be for 2008. I do not need to see any restricted information but only the total numbers for 2008 fiscal period.


2) I want to inspect your records and documents that show how many of the above vehicles have paid the registration fee in the same 2008 period.


I trust that you will inform promptly whatever department and personnel are necessary to make this information and documents ready for my inspection. If you need any additional information or have questions about this request, I am available during working hours at 754-0699.


Sincerely yours,

Joe Saino
6560 Kirby Forest Cove
Memphis, Tennessee 38119


HERE IS THE ANSWER!!



Mr. Saino:

In response to your March 23, 2009 email to Ms. Debbie Stamson, Shelby County Clerk, please take note of the following:


Registration data for 2008 requested by you is not available in any existing record. It is not possible for the Office of County Clerk to indicate how many registered vehicles were in Memphis or in Shelby County outside Memphis during the year 2008. There is no existing record that compiles this information, and it is not possible to generate such a record.


The Office of the County Clerk can provide the total number of registrations, but only as of the date the data is extracted. Only current vehicle registration information is available.


It is anticipated that this information can be provided to you on or about April 6, 2009.


In addition, the Office of the County Clerk can provide information indicating payments to the City of Memphis and the number of registrations paid for in the calendar year of 2008.


This information would also be available on or about April 6, 2009.


In accordance with provisions of the Tennessee Public Records Act, specifically, Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(7)(C)(1) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-506(a), you would be responsible for the reasonable labor costs in excess of one (1) hour in producing the information and records you request. Pursuant to these provisions, it is anticipated you would be billed for labor charges in the approximate amount of $240.00. Additionally, you would also be billed for reasonable copying charges in an amount yet to be determined.


If you would like for the Office of the County Clerk to provide the information and records described above, please provide advance payment in the amount of $240.00. Checks should be payable to the Office of the Shelby County Clerk. At the time the information is produced you will be billed for any labor amounts in excess of this plus reasonable copying charges. (If actual labor costs excluding the first hour are less, charges will be adjusted accordingly.)


Any delay in providing advance payment will result in a delay in providing the information described above.


If you have questions please contact me or my paralegal, Edna Ward, who can be reached at (901) 545-3101.


Thank you.


Craig Willis


Craig E. Willis
Assistant County Attorney
Shelby County Government
160 N. Main Street, Suite 660
Memphis, TN 38103
Tele: (901) 545-4917
Fax: (901) 545-4687
Craig.Willis@shelbycountytn.gov


My question to you is this. Am I missing something here? Do they not know how many registered vehicles there are and how many of those registrations have paid the fee? I talked to a local county political figure and was told that they have no computer program recording all this information and they do not know how much tax income they are missing. If anyone has any clarifying information, please let me know. I intend to pursue this issue.