Folks, The Cleveland County Schools (CCS) School Board, under Chairman Robert Queen, purposely make it very difficult for regular citizens to know what is going on. All the discussion goes on somewhere else besides at School Board Meetings. Strange acronyms are used without definition. And only a few School Board Members get the information, then make motions to do something and the other School Board members go along. Sometimes obviously NOT knowing a thing about what they are voting for. (All except for Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg.) Robert A says he has been to years of School Board meetings. But the January 9, 2023 meeting has been one of the worst.
Former Sheriff’s Office Captain Joel Shores is the School Boards Finance and Personnel Committee Chairman. And, NOT a good one at that. At this 1-9-2023 meeting Joel Shores reports that last year CCS had to dip into their General Reserve Fund to make ends meet. Shores did not say this but Robert A already knows that the State’s Local Government Commission monitors NC Agencies financials, recommends and sets General Reserve Fund’s minimum balances (among other things) and has the authority to take over the agencies financial operations if things get too far out of whack. With ALL the COVID money floating around Cleveland County and everywhere else this past year, Cleveland County Schools having to dip into their General Reserve Fund balances to make ends meet is a “dead-ringer” indication that the CCS School Board’s financial operations are totally out of whack.
Another “dead ringer” indication that things are way out of whack with CCS spending was in the Surplus Equipment Declaration List the School Board also approved without discussion. There were several HVAC items on this list that were particularly telling.
CCS had previously decided to do some HVAC work, somewhere. The list did not say where. But from the items listed, it was clear to Robert A that the HVAC work was relatively significant. The notation on the Surplus Declaration List was that the equipment was new, but due to changes in circumstances, the equipment was no longer needed.
To translate these statements, it was obvious that somebody had determined that some HVAC work was needed and the equipment was purchased and delivered. Then, somebody decides to do the HVAC another way and the first equipment purchase was now surplus. AND NEW. But different HVAC Equipment has now or will be ordered. The bottom line here is CCS had no clue, no overall plan and perhaps no understanding of what was needed to begin with. And there is no evidence this new go-around will be any better than the last one. The only thing that is clear, crystal clear, is that such a simple task was undertaken and overseen by a school board majority that didn’t have a clue about what they were doing and are doing every day.
Another thing is also crystal clear. Joel Shores and Robert Queen don’t give a “whit” that they have sub-standard and way inferior financial controls over their maintenance and construction projects. AND, wasteful spending like this as described is NOT a big deal to them.
That is not all. Perhaps all this wasteful spending is intentional.
A “feud” between the County Commissioners and School Board Chairman Robert Queen. Queen, still being PO’d because the Commissioners decided NOT to reappoint Queen to the Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees. And the “hub-bub” that set off when Queen’s Rogue Republican buddies went behind the Commissioners back and had Senator Ted Alexander reappoint Queen to the CCC BoTs. The Commissioners began withholding part of the School tax money and set it aside for school construction and Queen and Company are spending wastefully and like crazy to create situations where CCS runs out of cash and they begin to complain that the Commissioners actions had “Hurt” the school children of Cleveland County. One big Pissing contest. And children are being hurt and taxpayers will be hurt too.
Robert A has the solution to all of this pissing contests and trash talking. Us citizens run for the School Board (5 seats) and the Commissioners (3 seats) in the 2024 Elections. Throw them all out of office by electing candidates with some sense and the will to do what it takes to clean house with the Commissioners and the School Board. All of those up in 2024.
Robert A stopped by the Cleveland County Board of Elections this past Wednesday for some candidate information that he will share in other articles. Robert A has determined that what needs to be done, can be done. All that is needed is 5 school board members and 3 Commissioners who work together and vote together. Robert A will be passing this information along to interested people with the proper motivation. “Easy-Pezy” says Robert A.
Stay tuned folks!! You ain’t heard nothing yet.