MASON CITY – In the wake of financial numbers released – and explained – by the Iowa Department of Management’s Statewide School Finance Officer, Lisa Oakley, that show the Mason City School District with $8.8 million in funds left over after the 2014 fiscal year, NorthIowaToday.com Publisher Matt Marquardt honored an interview request with long-time school district critic Jack McCourt.
Marquardt had phoned Ms. Oakley on Thursday, August 8th in search of “some straight talk, some real answers,” on the true financial status of the Mason City School District (MCSD), which is pursuing two tax levies against property owners on the September 10th ballot.
NIT published the information Ms. Oakley had disclosed for the 2014 fiscal year.
Ms. Oakley said that the MCSD will have estimated revenues of $49 million for fiscal 2014. The MCSD is also carrying forward a balance of $27 million dollars. For fiscal year 2014, the MCSD has roughly $76 million at its disposal with a budget (total expenditures) of $67 million. She confirmed that after the 2014 school year, again a rough estimate, the MCSD will have a $8.8 million surplus or funds left over.
Ms. Oakley also described how MCSD takes in “millions” of dollars each year in federal aid and other sources. Some of those sources include: tuition, earnings on investments, grants, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal sources.
Ms. Oakley also said that the MCSD has a long-term debt of $54.935 million.
Mr. McCourt had urged Marquardt to call Ms. Oakley in Des Moines and discuss with her the financial condition of the MCSD.
Presented with the information, Mr. McCourt, as always, had a very pointed opinion.
“The school board … is telling a big phony BS,” Mr. McCourt stated, referring to MCSD officials painting a somewhat dire portrait of the district’s finances.
“How many millions do they need to spend?” McCourt asked. “Once they pass that levy, it never goes away.”
Mr. McCourt implored Catholic voters to vote “no” on September 10th.
“You Catholics in Mason City … help the poor and the elderly including your religion that pays property tax in this town, to defeat those two levies.”
See video conversation:
What a mess. Mason City has terrible demographics consisting of a very high percentage of residents who are either elderly and disabled. The elderly here were predominately working class and very dependent on their fixed income.
The School is correct, we are the only school of its size in Iowa that doesn’t have this extra source of income which is a disadvantage. Locals think teachers and admin are paid big bucks, but their pay is consistent with other communities big and small. Cutting teacher pay will result in no teachers or poor teachers long term. We may not like what they are paid, but its the market rate.
The Superintendent and some admin are clueless, clueless about the community, the kids and sometimes the real needs of students.
I tend to think we have to provide the money, hire better admins, get better teachers and try to keep kids from enrolling in other districts and entice some out of district kids to open enroll.
Not fixing problems is really going to hurt this community. I’d like to remind the elderly it will be very hard to sell your home if we don’t attract families to live here. Good schools are a part of that.
This is not a religion issue! This is not a age issue!
This is a issue of the public sector telling the the private sector, ( who have lost many wages and benefits, and jobs in the last 5 years) that they need to dig a little deeper.
Its about people making 50-60-70-up to 220.000 dollars a year, telling people making 20.000-30.000 they dont pay enough to those making the big dollars.
Its about government greed! No amount of money will ever be enough for them.
Again, all MCHS employees get a nice raise EVERY year.
State has increased funding 2% this year, 4% next year!!! As well as lump sum payments?
Please tell me why they need more? I want to know why that is not enough?
ITS NOT IN ANYWAY ABOUT THE KIDS
Jack McCourt is a goof ball. Get him to the psych ward ASAP !!
Jack is not the most articulate person but he cares deeply for the elderly and fixed income in our community. This school board cares only about padding their pockets and will bend the truth to any length in order to as they say feed the pig.
Is it possible that the school district ended last year with a surplus because they had money on hand to make the final payments on John Adams and high school remodels?
One huge income for the schools that has not been mentioned is the 1 cent sales option tax they get.
To LVS:
Since I don’t know what life is all about– I have one figure for you. For both of my parents to die in the nursing home– it cost us $ 228,000. That my friend is reality bites!!!
Hate to upset the apple cart here, but it appears that Mr. McCourt did his homework by calling Des Moines and getting a second opinion on local school finances.
It is a lot more than what other folks here have done about it.
As far as being on a fixed income, I also agree with Mr. McCourt. While perhaps his wording of “being poor” is not what I would use, yet his point is well taken. The SS system is not at issue here, local school finances are.
Low income folks, be it SS recipients, or the wonderful $9.50 job holders in town, can ill afford more taxes. Especially when we have reduced enrollment.
You can be best assured that MC School District is already working on putting their spin on the issue as I type this.
They will claim poverty, and lack of educational opportunities that will be missed if they do not get more money.
They will claim everyone else has a levy, why not us?
Education is something you cannot force upon a person. It is something a person, and in this case, parents, must foster in their children. No school in the world can do that. And no amount of money will accomplish it.
Do we need talent in the schools? Yes. Good teachers can do a lot if the students come to learn. Even at times, without a lot of supplies or the latest gizmos.
Good for Mr. McCourt and his efforts, no matter how amateurish you may find them. It is better than doing nothing at all.
2% increase in funding this year, 4% the following year, plus one time lump sums?
Please tell me why they need more/
@LVS…I agree…ALL the administrators should take a pay cut!!
Where is the “do it for the children” line? I used to LOVE that one! I imagine some housewife getting away with that at home, with her husband and thinking, “why won’t that work to get teachers and administrators more money.”
Do it…for the children
sucka…
@Wussup
You are in for some sticker shock when you retire. Our government has been working overtime to find ways to separate you from your money.
I have been retired for 5 years now and it costs me over $350.00 a MONTH more then it did when I retired.
My fixed income isn’t so fixed and yours won’t be either. Ask your parents (if you can).
Taxes are a big part of expenses. The current mindset by our Governing Officials ie. Bureaucrats is to figure out ways to gleam more money from the taxpayers.
I have done my due diligence and research and I have determined that money the school have all the money they need.
I will be voting NO NO NO!
PS: I will be going door to door in my neighborhood with flyers in hand that I print up myself to get my neighbors informed and out to vote! I would encourage the rest of you to do the same.
I vote to give teachers more money and take away a few $100,000 from the Superintendent.
I’m voting no.
An excellent, objective, well written piece of investigative journalism. Thank you. We shouldn’t need to enlist the resources of the bean counters in Des Moines to get answers about school finances. Shame on you MCSD, it plays out like you have something to hide.
I have no idea how I will vote at this point. But, Jack McCourt’s thoughts are not persuasive. He clearly is uneducated and has a generally bad attitude. He has all the right in the world to express his opinions etc. but I would like to actually see a valid articulate point. People like him are the reasons we need a great school system and excellent teachers. He must have missed that somewhere along the way. Just to be negative for negative sake is just not very bright. I have met his son and he is kind of a dim bulb as well. I am a person with very few if any prejudices– but stupid people really get to me. I don’t care if u are black, white, or purple– but uninformed and unwilling to research and look at facts, just blows my mind.. I am not talking about persons living with mental or psychiatric disabilities at all. Just because Mr. McCourt says he is elderly and poor doesn’t cut the mustard either. Maybe if he had been better educated, by schools that had all their needs met, and had some higher education, he would have a better retirement income. I just get sick of the poor me, victim mentality… If it’s so bad, get a another job…. Just because he is retired, doesn’t mean he can’t work part-time if life is so tough….My parents and grandparents worked their butts off to make sure they could live well into retirement… I have been working since I was 13, so about 50 years and I know that I need to work for many more to be able to enjoy my retirement.
Like I said, I still don’t know how I will vote, but you can bet that I will do my due diligence on research and seek out facts, then make an informed decision on that basis, not emotions….
You Catholics, g-dammit – lol.
That’s right Folks! There is alot a stake this year with the school levies and city council and mayor positions… BE AWARE, SEND A MESSAGE AND GET OUT AND VOTE!!!
Very. Interesting information. lots of dollars involved. Would like to see how our numbers compare to Ft Dodge.
Good for you Jack-keep on pushing. Enough is enough. If we give them more money they will just give themselves big raises again and waste the rest of the money on poor management. Vote NO, NO, NO.