At a school board meeting last week, Trustee Tom Beasley asked for the item to be placed on a future board agenda.
“We’ve consolidated our own schools, which will save us thousands of dollars every year, and we’ve cut the budget until there is nothing left to cut,” he explained to the Bee-Picayune on Monday. “One of the only options remaining is the consolidation of the four school districts in the county.”
Naturally, a majority of Beasley’s counterparts on the school board would first have to agree to consider the option.
And the trustees, administrators, taxpayers and voters in Pawnee, Pettus, and Skidmore-Tynan school districts would have to be included in any serious discussion on the matter, Beasley admitted.
“But we have to start somewhere,” he said. “I got the ball rolling. I’ve asked for it to be placed on the agenda. If the board wants to take a serious look at consolidating the school districts, we will. And if they don’t, we won’t.”
But Beasley said consolidating the four school districts will save Bee County taxpayers more than a million dollars annually.
“Do we need four superintendents in the county? Four athletic directors? Four head librarians and other administrative personnel?”
Beasley shared his thoughts on school district consolidation during a candidate’s night forum on Monday at A. C. Jones High School.
Beeville ISD Superintendent Dr. John Hardwick Jr. has discussed in the past the idea of consolidating the four school districts as a way of saving money.
I would much rather see more Teachers & Teachers given well deserved raises rather than paying for administrators, excessive needless employees sucking the tax payers money like vampires. We need pay our Teachers more and eliminate classroom overcrowding. When a Teacher that is with your child for almost 8 hrs a day everyday isn't paid a 1/3 of what a superintendent is, who in most cases never sees your child for all the years they are in school. Our Teachers aren't appreciated enough & aren't compensated accordingly.