Today (January 10th) the Reporter Herald on the front page has an article about changes to the budget process for the Thompson School District.

As we are trying to bring more transparency and accountability with our petition (click here to read and sign!) to the district, the district is once again going in the opposite direction and working to make it harder for the community to participate and understand how their money is being spent.

In the article, Steve Towne who is the CFO for the district displays the arrogance of the district with his statement:

“With all due respect to the community, while we want to be aware of what their heartbeat is, the people in the administration are here because they have background and experience in these issues”

Translation:  We are the experts and so we don’t need or want your advice and so you need to trust us and IGNORE that us experts year after year produce budgets with a deficit.

I understand that the Board is elected by citizens but citizens do have a right to question, understand and (gasp) object to the way their money is being spent!

When will the district understand that the easier it is for citizens to find the information and understand the information, the easier it will be for the district to obtain community support for how the Board and district operate.