Board members showed leadership in fiscal restraint

Members of the Medford School Board showed leadership in exercising fiscal restraint at last week’s school board meeting regarding the purchase of new and replacement signs at the high school.

In their actions and discussion, board members drew a firm line between things that would be simply nice to have, and things that would bring benefit to the district and its fundamental job to educate children and help prepare them to enter the workforce and adult life.

Board members were being asked to approve the purchase and installation of new lighted signs for the new front entrance, the exterior of the building, within the new office addition and an electronic display sign on Hwy 64 in front of the school campus.

Following a lengthy discussion at both the district’s finance committee meeting and then later at the full board meeting, a majority of the board approved some, but not all of the sign requests. The board directed administration to go with less expensive options for other signs. Specifically excluded in the approvals was the request for an electronic display sign, which had a price tag of about $27,300.

Together all of the sign projects had an estimated price tag of $56,286, which for a typical household or small business in this area is a significant expense. In comparison to the district’s overall $39 million budget, the projected price tag for all the signs was a little more than one tenth of a percent of the overall spending in the district. There would be those who would be critical of the board spending so much time debating what, in the context of the overall budget, is a comparatively small expenditure.

On the surface, the discussion and vote were about signs and if Medford should jump on the bandwagon of having things that are bright, shiny and new. On another level, it was a discussion about spending priorities and appearance of putting curb appeal above providing educational resources and support.

There is little doubt that a new sign with a large lighted display screen would look pretty nifty in front of the high school - at least while it worked. However, it would come at the cost of taking away resources from other areas such as curriculum, building maintenance or staff compensation.

The board’s discussion and decision balancing wants versus needs is especially important as the school district begins the process to possibly bring a referendum to voters in November 2024. In order for any referendum to be successful, voters must be confident that board members will be good stewards of the district’s finances. The best way to measure an individual or group’s ability to be trusted to take on large responsibilities is to observe how responsible they are at smaller tasks.

Board members should be commended for a lively discussion with multiple viewpoints and in the end achieving a balance favoring fiscal restraint without blocking future opportunities.