The Richmond County school board took no action tonight on an official contract offer to Superintendent Dana Bedden, although some board members said after the meeting that an unofficial offer was made last week.
"We've not voted in public on one, but he's got an offer in his possession," board member Jimmy Atkins said.
Board Vice President Alex Howard said that offer was made last Wednesday but that so far there's been no response from Bedden.
The board has now met twice in closed-door sessions to discuss the terms of a new contract to Bedden, knowing his current contract ends in July. Tonight's meeting is two days ahead of a meeting in Irving, Texas in which a finalist will be named for an open superintendent's job there -- a position Bedden is in the running for.
After tonight's meeting, Bedden wouldn't speculate on his future, but he did say that the longer his contract issue lingers the more it becomes a distraction.
"Good or bad, it's a distraction," he said. "...I would like for there to be closure for the school system."
On another matter, board members were told that school officials will wait until April 13 to determine if teachers and others will have to take an additional three furlough days.
Bedden told the board that the system is hoping to absorb addtional state cuts without having to call for the added furlough days that were recently recommended by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Bedden said the down side to waiting on a decision is that the pay cut would be spread over a shorter period of time before the school year ends, should the furlough days be necessary. On the flip side, he said, if the furlough days were approved now and not necessary it would affect workers' pay needlessly.
"We're hoping we'll continue to have this better financial picture," he said, noting that property tax collections have been improved lately.
Any department of this government that can't forcast income and expenses is sadly in serious trouble. This is especially true given the amount of computing power and software that is purchased for that specific purpose. Number one - we know what employees we have, number two - we know what the income will be (it is all on automated systems), number -three we know what (I hope) our obligations are (also on automated systems, We know the price of power, gas, water, etc, etc, etc. So what will we surprisingly know on 13 April, that we don't know today? In fact if anything, we should have a listing of what is going to be cut out and what NEW policies are being put in place to keep from having a furlough. But that would take leadership which is sorely lacking in the elected members who represent us, nice folks but incompetent with numbers.
Dissman, the big question that can't be answered is at the state level. The General Assembly could adopt a midyear budget with more cuts or the governor could decide to withhold more funding to local school systems.
I agree AnotherPerspective. We don't know what's on the way and in some cases the State doesn't either. The federal level can also throw some uncertainty in there.
Let him go to Texas! Let's not turn this into a bidding war with Irving.
If teachers and other board employees get more furlough days then how in the world can you give this man more money to stay somewhere he does not want to be. This is most rediculous situation I have ever seen in my life. You are so right Super Bedden...it is a distraction because you don't care about this county...only what you can get out of it. Don't you think the teachers who work in this county think they are worth more than what they making too? Please leave!!!!!
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