CHRIS MORRIS, New Albany Tribune
FLOYD COUNTY — Gov. Mitch Daniels is not a big fan of the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. Board of Trustees’ vote to close four elementary schools last week.
In a morning press conference, Daniels said the corporation was “not as serious about the academic side and responsibilities they have” in making their decision.
The board approved Superintendent Bruce Hibbard’s $5.6 million budget reduction plan last Thursday by a 5-2 vote which included 40 cost-saving measures including closing Galena, Silver Street, Children’s Academy of New Albany and Pine View elementaries. Other key elements of the plan include moving fifth-graders to the middle schools, eliminate fourth grade school sponsored extra-curricular athletics, offer a teacher retirement incentive and freeze raises for all non-union employees.
“They have done a couple of right things, but not nearly what they could have done,” he said.
He said the corporation did not follow the list of actions suggested on the “Citizens' Checklist” that the State Board of Education developed to help districts deal with funding problems.
The corporation said the cuts were needed after the governor reduced public school funding by $300 million last December due to a decrease in state tax revenue projections.
“A lot of districts lose students, so they don’t need as many schools or teachers, I understand that” Daniels said. “The reason I have been paying attention [to NA-FC] is because I was attacked personally. They are blaming a $7 million problem on $3 million in cuts and that is just ridiculous.”
Without naming the district by name, Daniels said, “they have one of the worst records in Indiana of getting dollars into the classrooms.”
Attempts to reach Hibbard for comment were unsuccessful.