Letter to the Editor: Hannibal School District is broke. What are we to do to fix it?

I am writing after attending the Hannibal Public School District monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19. 

Our district has been in financial distress for quite some time. This has led to difficult decisions for the current board. As the board navigates through difficult spending decisions, the public is frustrated by the emotional impact of the process.

For the past five years, I have been regularly attending the monthly meetings. I recall the start of discussions regarding Eugene Field Elementary School. During the early discussions, I recall the operating costs being a concern, as well as the hardships students face. The operating costs for the building are high, and the repairs needed are in the $10 million-plus range.

Keeping Eugene Field open all year was once seen as a possible saving grace. As described by the administration, the concept was intended to provide more academic services for students, who the administration reported were struggling in the classroom. Of particular concern was reading levels. 

I counted myself among those who thought being open all year was a great idea. Unfortunately, that discussion ended, and the district did not proceed.

Now, more than four years later, the board has made the difficult decision to close the historic school that is near and dear to the hearts of the neighborhood, staff and students. Many members of the public seem blindsided by this decision and blame current board members.

Could the previous board that started this study and research into saving Eugene Field have been more transparent with staff, students, families and the community? 

J’Nelle Lee, the longest-serving board member, has been a part of the discussions around the financial hardship Eugene Field faces. She has also been part of the discussions regarding the new Innovation Campus, voting to move forward with the project. At the meeting this week, she said the district’s financial condition would not let her vote to close a school while also opening the new facility.

This confuses me. Lee voted on all of this, knowing full well the district’s financial situation. Now, as we know, a state audit revealed we have had poor accounting that could have been avoided.

During the last several months, the board has made financial decisions to help fix those issues, including hiring a financial advisor since our district does not employ a finance director or business manager with any actual finance experience. The board and finance committee have been working to help overcome the $3.3M shortfall from last year’s budget, as well as a current shortfall of $1.3M that was announced Tuesday night. 

As a district and community, we do not want staff members to be underpaid or not receive raises. They work so hard to educate and care for our children.

Tuesday night saw continued discussion regarding nursing staff pay. During a discussion with Assistant Superintendent Meghan Karr, Board member Jeff Evans was interrupted several times. Stacey Graves initially interrupted Evans and asked him to walk a day in the shoes of a nurse.

I find it unprofessional and out of line for any board member to be interrupted while participating in board discussions. Each board member is elected to speak on behalf of the district and taxpayers. Some may not agree with what the board member is saying, but that does not give them the right to interrupt them. Wait your turn and rebut the discussion. 

Mrs. Lee went on to say that had “bounced ideas” off Karr in private and Evans should do the same.

Evans was doing just that, “bouncing ideas” off Karr. The difference was that he did it in the public for all to hear and not in private. I appreciate the public discussion, something that has increased in the last two years with the newest board members joining.

Having been to many board meetings over the last five years, historically this was not a board that had open public discussions. Lots of voting and going with the flow but few public discussions. Evans has never said he is against teachers or nurses. He is one of their biggest supporters and wants what is best for the district and its future.

Evans has pushed for a better accounting system, better budgeting and more transparency. He pushed for the state auditor to review district finances and to hire a financial advisor. Evans called out L.J. Hart and identified how our district was being taken advantage of by them in the bond-issue process. The district’s interest rates were higher than average, their underwriting fees were double and quadruple, and they were laddering the bond re-issues so there would be underwriting fees every year. His work, along with the current board, saved the district millions of dollars.

How much would our district have saved had a board member pushed back 10 years ago? Financial discussions can be hard, but our district is broke and getting more broke. 

What are we to do to fix it? We must discuss every financial allocation. We must make cuts and look for ways to fill positions with qualified staff at rates the district can afford.

I wish to see our district succeed now and into the future and provide quality education for our students.

Anna Lemon
Hannibal, Missouri