Professor Elam

In case you think I am exagerating all this about local govt problems, click DISD for the story on mass layoffs just two months in to the current school year. This is of course absurd, all salaries should have been cut district wide so that everyone could retain their job in a slowing economy. This is particularly so as DISD is one of the poor performing national wide large school districts. The spectre of a superintendent making a quarter of a million dollars, or more, in one of the best economies in the USA while firing innocent employees is a spectre of mass incompetence on his and the Board's part. This is why, ahem, we study accounting.

Muddled stories like this one about Lancaster Schools do not help citizens to be informed. This long story omits the current reality that the Board finally suspended Dr. Lewis. Lewis claims to think 10 years ahead, but apparently not in this year when the budget needs to be balanced. He overestimated attendance, which causes the school to receive state money. He then budgeted that money. Without the attendance, he is now short the funds.  Accounting matters.