Below is the statement read by school board chairman John Trammell regarding the ongoing gym use situation. Trammell noted it was read on behalf of the entire board.
Recently, significant conversation has taken place about the Intergovernmental Agreement entered into by the Pickens County Government and the Pickens County Board of Education concerning the use and maintenance of facilities. This agreement references several types of facilities, but the main “point of contention” is how the agreement deals with the use of school gymnasiums.
Unfortunately, no one, including the Recreation Board, saw fit to gather the facts or the full story from the Board of Education at any time prior to publishing letters intended to raise tempers and stir controversy.
Historical precedent led to this Intergovernmental Agreement. For a number of years the Pickens County Government used the school system’s gymnasiums for recreational basketball. For the use of these facilities, the school system was not charged “dump fees” for the disposal of school garbage. This amounted in a savings to the school system of between $20,000 to $25,000 per year. This reciprocating arrangement continued until three years ago. The county and the school system both contracted with independent companies to provide these services thus ending this mutually beneficial agreement.
Three years ago the county and the school board traded “in kind” services. This involved the county continuing to use the gyms and the school board gaining services from the county such as bulldozing, paving, etc.
Two years ago and last year, the services needed by the school system and provided by the county declined dramatically. Even with this decline in services, the school system allowed the county recreation department to continue its use of the gyms without interruption. This was done at no cost to the county government except for the county paying for a monitor/custodian at the schools when practice or games were taking place. This money was paid directly to those individuals. No money was paid to the Board of Education for use of the gyms. The school system has not collected any money from the Pickens County Government for the use of the gyms for the last two years.
Last spring, as the budget process was underway, the school system investigated necessary ways to reduce costs. The Board of Education directed the Superintendant to set up a meeting with the Commissioner to explore reducing the more than $500,000 amount that the county assesses the school system for “collecting taxes,” OR to help the schools off-set the costs of gym maintenance and upkeep during recreation basketball by assisting with these costs. The county can charge the school system up to 2.5% of the budget to collect school taxes. This “collection” money is included in the school budget process and is a part of the costs that determines the school tax millage rate. This money can be spent at the discretion of the Commissioner.
In the original meeting in May, the Commissioner did not want to agree to a reduction in the 2.5% the county receives but preferred to investigate an Intergovernmental Agreement for the use and maintenance of the school gymnasiums for the recreation department. Even though the Commissioner did not want to reduce the above mentioned percentage, nor, do we suspect, did he want to assist in the maintenance and upkeep of these gyms, he did realize that it was difficult for the Board of Education to continue to take school tax dollars and use those tax dollars to provide recreation for the county without any reasonable reciprocation.
After several meetings, an agreement was reached for the use of Harmony School and Hill City school gymnasiums. The agreement also called for the exclusive use by the recreation department of the original gymnasium at Jasper Elementary School. In the past, the recreation department had used four gyms, but the COUNTY deemed four not necessary since they would have the JES gym 24/7 – 365 days. Three gyms would be used as they had in the past for the youth recreation basketball. The fourth gym previously was the PCMS gym used for the adult league. The BOE was informed that the county recreation department and its director had determined that the adult league could now use the recreation department’s gym at JES at a time when the youth league was not using it, thus eliminating the need for the fourth gym.
The Commissioner stated that this agreement would allow him a “bridge” to give him time to build a recreation complex in Pickens County. The BOE felt this mutually negotiated agreement between the parties was a good agreement, for it allowed the school system to continue to extend the use of the facilities and the county the opportunity to help maintain the facilities. It also addressed the use of softball and track facilities of the county. The Commissioner and the Board of Education, in good faith, approved this agreement, first by the Commissioner and then by the BOE. The School Board strongly supports recreation and our youth today, as we have in the past, and will abide by the signed agreement.
That said, the BOE has decided to offer an alternative to the Commissioner in an effort to move forward and to show our continued support for recreation. As previously noted, the BOE is ready to honor the signed, mutually negotiated agreement between the BOE and the Commissioner, but the BOE is willing to amend the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement to reflect the following:
The BOE will waive the full amount of $50,000 for the first year of the agreement. The Pickens County Government will still be responsible for monitors/custodians at all locations and costs of the utilities and upkeep at the JES gym. The school system will have the continued use of the recreation facilities stipulated for an indefinite period of time.
For this amendment of terms, the Pickens County government must agree to waive all fees charged to the youth recreation basketball participants for this first year of the agreement. The $75.00 fee charged must be returned to each participant. If their check has been cashed, a refund check must be mailed or made available within two weeks of acceptance of this agreement. Acceptance of this amendment will result in significant savings to the county. Given the economic times, we are confident that the parents/guardians of the participants can use the refund. To those who would criticize the BOE for spending school tax dollars for county recreation, the BOE feels we can justify another season without reasonable reciprocation because we now a clear path for the future. We have no objection, rather encourage, the use of the above noted school gymnasiums. We believe it only fair and just to receive assistance for the use and maintenance of these facilities.
The Commissioner has stated that he is going to build a recreation complex. Further, he has stated that he has the plans ready and will start after the first of the year. This agreement may give him time to have the recreation complex ready for the next basketball season. If he does not have the complex ready for next season, then the agreement would still be in place. If the complex is ready, and the school’s gymnasiums are not needed, this agreement may be voided at no cost to the county.
An attempt has been made to portray the BOE in a very negative light through misinformation that has been given to the public. Hopefully this document will help clarify some of that misinformation. The BOE is responsible for the education of our students. The BOE is not required to use taxes levied for education for the use of a county recreation department or any other county department. By the same token, the County Government is not required to use county taxes to fund, for example, the schools technology department, or any other department in the school system. We can, and certainly should have, mutually beneficial arrangements when they are in the best interest of both parties and in the interest of the taxpayers.
The Pickens County Board of Education supports the youth of Pickens County. The BOE is prepared to honor the original negotiated agreement, or amend the agreement under the new conditions offered. The Pickens County Board of Education believes this is an opportunity for this controversy to be laid to rest for now and the future, to move forward, and provide transparency in regards to this issue. It is regrettable that the original option of reducing the exorbitant $500,000 charges for collecting school taxes was not selected by the Commissioner. The BOE continues to feel that this would be the most reasonable solution and the obvious “tax friendly” alternative to all Pickens County citizens. It is also regrettable that so much has been said and written with only partial and often misleading information regarding this entire situation. This should make the BOE’s position crystal clear to all those concerned.
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