How in the world does $165,000 for a “scoreboard” become an economic necessity?
How does it stand for equality?
Blanche Ely parents were promised that the district would match their fundraising in order to provide the school with their new scoreboard.
But at $165,000 the math just doesn’t work out.
And rightly so, Superintendent Bob Runcie recommended that the Board scratch the project until a more equitable solution can be worked out.
The “business hat” fits him well.
Ultimately, the district will follow through on its promise with another $54,000 and they should.
But the logic of parents and community activists demanding equality through a scoreboard for a school simply escapes me.
While watching the Board meeting, I got the message alright.
Blanche Ely hasn’t been given the same treatment or priority that western schools have gotten.
Rather than assign blame, the community should be moving on to the important matters and start creating a new and brighter history for the school.
Pardon the expression, but there’s a new Sheriff in town. (No references to Blazing Saddles, please.)
With a Diversity Committee specifically formed to monitor equal access to educational materials and programs between predominantly white and black schools, somehow I wouldn’t think their priority would be a scoreboard.
If the district does have that extra $57,000 (beyond the matching funds) to spend for Blanch Ely, then community activists along with Board member Ben Williams need to pow wow and come up with recommendations on where that money would be best spent in the classrooms.
Time to put sports in its proper prospective and make classrooms the real priority.
Watching Broward 
Jan 20, 2012 @ 10:59:55
In regards to the statement: “Time to put sports in its proper prospective and make classrooms the real priority”. Yes, I get it that the priority should always be on the classroom, but the extra activities provided by our schools does have an impact on the classrooms in a way that places “pride” and a “sense of satisfaction of involvement” in the school being attended by the student. It does not matter if that activitiy is sports related or any other type of organized club or group. Participation of an activity by the student is also based on school attendance and GPA’s. This give the student an incentive to do well in school and stay out of trouble.
$165k for a scoreboard???? Maybe yes-maybe no, but the scoreboard does have a direct impact on the sport involved by a show of pride in the school for what they have done as a community, (yes, I view the school population as a community). I say, if the district promised something and did not place a limit of a “matching of funds”, then if the school pta (or any other fundriaiser) raises 1/2 the $165k, then they should be entitled to build (at any cost) their scoreboard. After all, they worked for it, and deserve to show the rewards of that hard work.
Some of us drive chevy’s, some drive caddy’s. This scoreboard may be a caddy to some, but to them it represents a show of pride and accomplishment. Good for them if they can do it!!!
Just my 2 cents worth!!!
Jan 20, 2012 @ 16:19:53
I understand your comment about sports, GPAs and attendance and agree for the most part. But a community that has a history of being treated like second class citizens in all respects needs to step back and take a breath when it comes to the scoreboard.
Allow me to complicate matters somewhat. The community raised $54,000 for the project and that’s wonderful. A proper match would be another $54,000 bringing the total to $108,000. Let’s be generous and say the match could bump the figure up to $110,000 in total. So far so good…
I have a copy of the vendor’s quote in 2010, provided by a reader from the community, states that the quoted price of the scoreboard is $105,920. According to the quote, the only thing excluded is the electrical work. $4,000 for the electrical work? Quite possible, maybe even a bit more. But $165,000 is a figure that mysteriously appeared as if by magic.
According to Tom Lindner, the video screen addition was demanded by the community and would raise the cost by 150%. Piper’s scoreboard cost around $30,000. Today’s estimate is $54,000.
Bottom line: Somebody’s trying to screw the taxpayer out of another $50,000 and use community outrage to do it. There’s no other way to look at it and there are no legitimate reasons for the jump in price.
Now comes the totally sexist comment…
Were it up to me, I’d have four good looking cheerleaders on each side of the field holding up team names and current score after each play.
But the school should get its promised scoreboard without question, and community outrage should be focused in the classroom. If the community wants to add a video screen, then they should raise the money.
Jan 20, 2012 @ 16:32:26
I didn’t have that info you just shared. This was just my thoughts on the scoreboard after thinking about it for the last few days, I feel the same if all the numbers are legit.
Cheerleaders? Sexist yes, But us old guys came from that era.
Jan 21, 2012 @ 03:32:28
I’ve got mixed feeling about this. However, it seems to me that in determining how much the School Board will match community-raised funds for something like a scoreboard, there should be some consideration as to the resources of the school’s district, as well as from its students’ families and alumni.
Providing a dollar-for-dollar match is much easier at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas H.S. than it is at Blanche Ely.
Jan 22, 2012 @ 19:08:53
To Floridian….
Why should it be easier to match at Stoneman verses Blanche? I dont believe it is (or should be) that way. All schools are equal (or should be). I Don’t believe your comment about this right. According to your comment,our school system is like it was back in the 60’s.