FBW: FB Sun Reports On FBISD Budget Crisis!

Get the full piece at: http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2009/08/12/fort_bend_sun/news/slsws_-_fbisd_budget_811.txt

. . .Several people expressed concerns with plans by the district to move forward with the Global Science Center in the midst of its present budget crisis.

“We have a Global Science Center that we are looking at between $20 to $60 million dollars and we have a contracting economy at best, and taxpayers, myself included, have had to contract my spending and that is not what we are seeing here with Fort Bend [ISD],” Sugar Land resident Nancy Hentschel said.

Hentschel, a vocal opponent of the science facility, called Fort Bend ISD spending on the proposed Center an example of “very poor planning.”

Hentschel also challenged the board to release documents related to the proposed Global Science and Technology Center based on a recent directive approved by the Attorney General of the State of Texas.

Another resident, Michael Lee, called for the board to resign, alleging board members failed to deliver lawful requests for information to the people, failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest in connection with the center, and told taxpayers many times that the district had enough resources to pay for the science center.

“My goal is to get the school board to obey the law in every way, and not skirt and trick and deceive the people into believing this tax increase is really necessary and to get them to disclose their communications with the vendors who will be building the Global Science and Technology Center, because it is my belief that their campaign contributors are also in the construction business,” Lee said.

A retired computer professional, Lee also expressed concerns after the board meeting regarding 10 percent cuts in the teachers budgets proposed in the budget.

“Teachers now have to buy their own paper for copy machines and own fabric to do science class,” Lee said.

“They don’t have enough money to properly equip a science lab in every school, but they have enough money to build a three-story science boondoggle,” Lee said.