Since the beginning of CAT's last round of negotiations (3 years ago if you haven't been counting), I have been screaming from the rooftops...that Cairo School District officials have been crying "WOLF!".

District officials claim to be broke...

District officials point the finger of blame at declining enrollment (a fact), a declining tax base (a fact), and/or greedy employees (a lie).

However...

Despite whatever "reason" District officials give, the FACT remains that Cairo School District Number One has "somehow" been able to maintain a balance of $2.5 million in their banking account at First National.

Actually, over the past year, that situation has changed/improved somewhat. The District's bank account has hovered around $3 million (some months above, other months below.)

However...

During this same past year, predictions of doom have grown louder and more dire.

We have heard rumors...

• That at the current rate of declining enrollment...within 10 years, we can close Cairo Elementary and house the entire District in the current CJSHS building.

• That the District may have to close the high school and farm out its 9-12 students to neighboring districts (districts which have clearly indicated in the past that they are NOT INTERESTED in receiving Cairo students.)

• Just to make sure that elementary teachers don't get too comfortable, District officials have speculated that the entire District may simply disappear.

Well, Happy Damn New Year to you too!

A New Year...

A time for turning pages...for resolving to shed the negative, to embrace the positive.

The District's increased protestations of poverty...

The District's tales of gloom and doom...

The District's cry that the wolf is at the door...

...well, hell!

Why would they lie about a thing like that???

A New Year...

I am ready to believe!

Reminds me of that picture I ran across and posted last month...

...call it a sign!

I hereby make a New Year's resolution to cast aside my doubts. Hear my pledge: I shall open my eyes, my ears, and my (previously closed) mind. I will accept the FACTS!

In short, SHOW ME THE MONEY!

(Damn...there I go again. Old habits are sure hard to break!)

Let's try that again...

Mr. Superintendent...Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board...Show me your "books"!

SHOW ME THAT THERE IS NO MONEY!

After all...

"Seein' is believin'."

You know, on second thought...

In keeping with my new CATtitude, strike that "demand" to show me the books.

How ungracious...how unfeeling of me!!!

District personnel are busy at this time of year...

...new tax tables to implement, W-2's to prepare and distribute, personnel files to recreate, new "missives" for the Superintendent to write, contracts and laws to break to keep the lawyers occupied.

In short...

District personnel ain't got time to give a tour of their books...spend precious time to educate a herd of poor du..., uh, bookkeeping-challenged CATs.

PLUS...

Even though this old CAT is willing to change his hard-headed ways, District officials (as evidenced by their "circling of the wagons" at their December BOE meeting) may not be ready. Given their current state of mind, if someone were to ask to see the District's "books", District officials would probably think that instead of conducting a search for the truth, well, that someone was out to steal "their" money.

Fortunately...

We have an alternative!

The aforementioned First National Bank account, as reported in the monthly "CSD #1 Treasurer's Reports"...

The Treasurer's Reports already exist...available to the public and "kindly" sent to CAT. (Okay, actually the reports are sent to CAT because it's in the Contract, although if we have learned nothing else over the past three years, it is that something being in the Contract doesn't guaran-damn-tee anything. In fact, it continues to amaze...how the Superintendent can misread the most straight-forward Contract language. Then, again, if you have read the Superintendent's "missives", straight-forward is not a language with which he is very familiar.)

Anyway...

YOU could get your own personal copy of the Treasurer's Report if you dropped by the District Office. Oh, you might have to fill out a request under the Freedom of Information Act. You might have to wait a couple of weeks. You might have to pay for it. But, hey...as you learned in school, "There is no such thing as a free lunch" (unless the BOE meeting is held around the noon hour instead of in the evening.)

However...

You don't have to do all that!

The District may defame CATs as greedy, but we are willing to share our largess!

So that you don't have to wait (and so that you don't have to spend those hard-earned dollars that you are putting aside for next year's most likely increased property taxes), immediately below are the two latest "Treasurer's Reports" from CSD #1:

Yep...

CSD #1's First National Bank account - where the District stores its "TREASURE" (in moth balls) - has grown from its steady somewhere-around $3 million to a year end/year beginning total of $3,870,167.26.

Since nobody else will do it...

I would like to pause and take a moment...to THANK ME and the other property owners of Cairo School District Number One. Without our continued support and sacrifice the District might never have had the opportunity to reach the $4 million dollar mark! Since, the December Treasurer's Report does NOT include the 2nd installment of local property taxes, the District is surely in high hopes of hitting that magical milestone with the January report.

If, in fact, they are successful...I would like to personally invite each and every one of you to the February BOE meeting to WATCH...as the BOE and Superintendent celebrate their achievement with their "free dinner". I will personally take the time to organize the "viewing line" so that you will not have to suffer the indignity of waiting more than a couple of minutes for your opportunity at the window of the closed door to the Board room...to gaze as they graze. In fact, if you will RSVP, I will arrange to have a chair provided for your waiting comfort. (Since you are not a regular, your butt may not be accustomed to the concrete steps "provided" by the BOE for its regular visitors during closed session.)

DAMN!!!

As the students "flee" the District to the alternating tunes of "WOLF!" or "The Sky is Falling"...the TREASURE CHEST grows by leaps and bounds. (I could be catty and comment that THAT number would be even higher if the District's "CEO" was a resident of Cairo instead of Chicago and was paying property taxes instead of using OUR damn tax dollars to live in his free cottage with its subsidized utilities, but I won't, I won't...the hell I won't!)

BTW:

CSD #1 PROPERTY OWNERS/TAXPAYERS:

I would like to voice an additional "THANK YOU!"

I just turned the page on the agenda(s) for Thursday's meeting.

The "Public Hearing"...concerning the intent of the Board of Education of School District Number 1, Alexander County, Illinois (aka CSD #1) to sell $1,500,000 of General Obligation School Bonds.

I had almost forgotten...

Yes...

The Board enjoys "the view" of its FAT First National Bank account so much, that it is NOT going to dust off the cobwebs and use it to improve the facilities for the two building's of elementary students that they crammed into one.

No...

The Board has graciously chosen an "Alternate Revenue Source". The Board will kindly accept an increased donation from ME and YOU (but NOT the Superintendent) in order to build the addition to Cairo Elementary.

Ya know...

This reminds me of my church-going days...when they would pass around an extra collection plate for various and sundry endeavors. I mean...you were STILL expected to keep up your regular contribution!

Dig deep...give till it hurts!

BTW

Since the District has become so "attached" to its surplus - crying broke and refusing to spend it on the education of children...crying broke and refusing to share it with its employees - well...

The State of Illinois better keep a close eye on CSD #1. Should the District be allowed to stick its hand deeper into the taxpayer's pocket (a foregone conclusion) AND should the District receive the $3 million dollar construction grant for additional classrooms at Cairo Elementary...WELL...SOMEBODY better make damn sure they SPEND IT!

I mean...old habits are hard to break. Watching one bank account grow from $2.5 million to $3.8 million has obviously become addictive. Give CSD #1 a second bank account...of $4 million to 5 million...well, hell...double their pleasure, double their fun!

POSTSCRIPT:

My New Year's Resolution?

Yeah...didn't last long, did it.

But, then again...that's kind of a tradition with New Year's resolutions, isn't it?

Anyway...

That "Seein' is believin'" thing?

From what I'm seein' in the CSD #1 Treasurer's Reports over the past few years...