Not gonna happen

Board member tries to review custodial bills, but board votes it down Sussex — Spending was on the mind of Sussex-Wantage School Board member Robert Heiden, when, at the Feb. 24 board meeting held at the Sussex Middle School, he requested a review and report of custodial items for the past three years. Heiden said he was “making a reasonable request,” and said the district is “in dire financial straights.” And he asserted that a review of the overtime pay for the district’s maintenance staff was worth looking into. But Board President Thomas Card refused, telling him that his request was beyond the norm and would require extra work to fulfill. Card noted that the school board’s administrator already had plenty to do. When put to a vote, Heiden’s request was turned down by a vote of five to three. When queried by audience members about why the board would not provide the information, Card repeated his point that it would require extra work. “The majority of the Board is not interested in getting that report,” said Card. “It is a strain on the Administrator. If the Board does not want it then it is not going to do it.”