It’s been 13 years since Del Phillips left his role as Columbus Municipal School District superintendent for a job in Tennessee. Time can sometimes be a harsh judge, and while some of the luster of Phillips’ tenure has faded — the location of the “new” middle school did not achieve what he predicted in growing attendance — there remains no question of his ability to form a plan and sell it.
Just two years into his role as superintendent, Phillips put together a package of school improvements that included a new middle school, establishing a magnet school system and an extended school year (later aborted). The $22 million school bond to build the middle school was approved by 80 percent of the voters, an almost unheard of margin.
At the time of his departure, Robert Smith, in his second year as Columbus mayor, said of Phillips during a farewell ceremony in June 2011, “I’ve never met a man like him. He can sell anyone anything.”
We are reminded of Phillips’ tenure as that school bond is set to be retired in April and the current CMSD board hopes to pass a new bond to address needed improvements in the district.
The board hopes to have the $30 million bond approved by voters quickly so that they continue to pay a tax rate similar to what they pay now.
Unfortunately, the district’s approach has been the antithesis of Phillips’ campaign.
Although the district was well aware that the bond would expire in 2024, there was no real attention paid to extend that revenue stream until December, just five months before the bond was set to expire. It was only then that the board hired a consultant to perform an assessment of its facilities and what those improvements would cost.
The list of needed improvements provided by the consultant came to $96 million, more than three times the amount the district will ask voters to approve. The board has whittled down the list through a series of workshops, but need another $8.8 million reduction to get to the $30 million mark.
The whole process has the feel of a frantic effort to jam as many square pegs into round holes as possible. Now, about two months from when the board wants voters to OK the new bond, the board hasn’t passed a bond resolution. In fact, as of today, the board hasn’t even sold itself on a plan, let alone share it with the public.
We should be well into the public hearing/campaign process by now, and more importantly, the school district should have a facilities plan that will make an actual difference, rather than a patchwork approach that produces nothing likely to inspire voters.
It has all the markings of a rush job rather than a well-conceived plan that can be persuasively pitched to voters.
In this situation, if no other, we certainly miss Del Phillips.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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