Page 7 - The Edge - Fall 2017

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NEWS & NOTES

BY DAVID LEWIS

Continued Delays, Cutbacks, Mean Repairs of

Building Facilities Just Keep Costing More

Here’s an interesting
fact I picked up the
other day – how long
is 1 million seconds: 11
and ½ days; how long is
1 billion seconds: almost
32 years; and how long is
1 trillion seconds: 31,710
years.
It’s always interesting
to look at something
from a new perspective
and to then realize
the significant impact,
the passing of time in
this instance, action or
lack of action could be
having on a problem.
is, of course, could be
said about the negative
consequences of delayed
action when it comes
to properly investing in
the capital needs of our
public schools.
Let’s look at a
few facts. Although PHOTO/KVKIRILLOV
Governor Ducey included additional funding in his current budget It is the ultimate irony that a group of supposedly “conservative”
for the School Facilities Board for building maintenance, we still legislators, committed to the premise of scal responsibility and
have a continuation of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual proper stewardship of public funds, is in essence wasting billions
cuts directly to schools for other maintenance and so capital of taxpayers’ dollars every day. By their refusal to properly
needs, such as technology. research these issues and educate themselves on widely available
As the above tidbit implies, this delayed action since 2009, yes best practices that would address this problem, they have created
that’s now over 8 years ago, has resulted in ongoing cuts totaling in a situation that is now dangerously close to becoming a problem
the neighborhood of over 2 billion dollars – that’s billion with a B! “too large to solve.”
We all know the bene ts of compounding interest and how a small Combined with a refusal to explore additional revenue generating
amount of money can grow over time, but the reverse is also true measures at the state level, yes taxes, the shi to having our local
of the compounding nature of delayed or haphazard repairs and the communities vote to tax themselves to address these needs is now
negative impact this has over time. almost complete. is “governing by neglect” approach is not only
Building facilities, A/C equipment, buses, roofs, just to name a extremely wasteful, it has led us into a now broadly inequitable
few, will not only fail to meet adequate standards for providing an system that clearly violates the general and uniform standard
acceptable learning environment for students today if not properly required in our Constitution. As was the case with the in ation
maintained, they will of course cost a great deal more to x or funding issue, this continued abdication of responsibility will have
replace tomorrow, resulting in much higher costs than if we had to be addressed by our courts. See you at our next membership
simply kept them in good working order to begin with. meeting!

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