Show me the money

How many times have you looked outside and it’s raining only minutes after you heard there was a 20 percent chance of showers that day?

Or how about the days when it reaches 90 degrees, the sky is clear blue and the sun is piercing through your windshield but the forecast has called for an 80 percent chance of rain? I mean, with an 80 percent forecast, one gets hopeful about the possibility of rain.

Weather forecasters helped create the old joke that “It’s the only profession where you can be wrong every day and get to keep your job.”

Perhaps there is one more occupation to add to that list – lobbyist.

When the Clay County School Board voted 3-2 on May 19, 2016 to continue paying Southern Strategy Group LLC $5,000 a month, that was the lobbying firm’s second trip to the Clay County public trough. On top of the monthly fee, the district’s agreement with the Southern Strategy Group allowed the firm to bill the school district for “costs directly attributable to the performance of this work will be billed in addition to the monthly retainer.”

Board members Ashley Gilhousen and Betsy Condon justified their votes last year by pointing to the success the firm had brought the Clay County School District that year. Condon, Gilhousen and former superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. credited Southern Strategy Group with securing $1 million in capital outlay funds that were to be used on upgrades at Middleburg High and other academies in the county.

Fast forward to the reality that was the 2017 Legislative Session and there is zero proof that any lobbyist in the state of Florida has done anything to advance public education.

In reality, this year’s state education budget, if not vetoed by the governor, actually means a decrease in funding per pupil for Clay County. Where were the lobbyists when those debates were taking place? After all, we were under the impression they were there in Tallahassee fighting for us, in the trenches even.

What exactly were they lobbying for? Were they taking suggestions from teachers? Were they lobbying for smaller class sizes or less mandatory testing? Were they having one on one meeting with powerful legislators asking for more general funding for education instead of funding for specific programs designed to make us look good?

Perhaps the lobbyists were out waving pom poms for charter schools this year, since a record $200 million was placed in the state budget for charter schools despite there still not being any true objective data to prove that charter schools perform better than public schools.

Here’s a quick look at Clay County’s proposed budget numbers: The base student allocation for Clay County Schools would be reduced from $4,160.71 to $4,133,64 per student in a county that already has one of the lowest BSAs in the state, if the budget that was passed remains intact. Not to mention, the county is bracing for growth which always places additional students in classrooms.

As Superintendent Addison Davis put it, this budget “will negatively influence our overall budget and foster consequences that could potentially impact the quality of education that is provided to our students.”

Meanwhile, in 2017, board members Condon and Gilhousen are once again carrying the torch for the lobbyist. At the May 23 agenda workshop, Gilhousen asked if the lobbying firm can attend the May 31 budget meeting so they can make an hour-long presentation about the good work they do.

I know that when a go to a store and buy a product, chances are rather high that, if that product fails me or is simply bad, I have recourse. I can ask for my money back or exchange the product for one that works.

Perhaps it’s simply time for the Clay County School District to ask Southern Strategy Group for a refund.