FWCS Board Members Want You to Believe They are Fiscally Conservative

Fort Wayne Community School board members Steve Corona and Carol Coen wrote a letter to the JG trying to convince everyone that they are fiscally responsible and will use your $850 Million wisely:

FWCS has a long history of managing its money and its facilities well, and we assure you that our future building projects will be handled with the same careful, conservative approach we’ve used in the past.

I would like to know if they think allowing the same contractor that will get a percentage of future work to define all the problems that will go into that work is "fiscally conservative"? To most people that type of approach is the antithesis of fiscal conservatism and shows a lack of common sense.

Of course let's review a couple of Coen's greatest hits. In a January JG story Coen was discussing the proposed building plan and said:

I think in a lot of ways FWCS taxpayers have gotten a 50-year tax break, school board member Carol Coen said.

Yes, you read that correctly. Just because Coen hadn't RAISED your taxes by 25% she thinks that equates to a tax BREAK. Does that sound like a fiscally conservative statement to anyone?

Next is one of my favorites. In a school board meeting to discuss moving the graduation date several parents became upset when their concerns were overruled. There were some brief verbal complaints after the decision as people filed out of the room and what was Coen's response? She actually wanted to call security - and then you can hear board member Jon Olinger say "Jesus Christ we don't need security." This is just further evidence that Coen is simply out of touch.

What this district needs is practical, fiscally responsible board members to ensure that all of our property taxes don't continue to spiral out of control. FWCS taxes will now make up over 50% of the overall property tax burden and will be 25% higher than every school district in the county.

Even if you IGNORE the tax implications, it's ACADEMICALLY irresponsible to waste money on facility upgrades. Let's fix what we must but re-blacktopping the parking lots and adding redundant elevators?

That's not being fiscally conservative Ms Coen. I would encourage everyone to sign the blue petition...