Lawyer Fees

Let me make myself clear here.
I have dutifully made a public information request to get a breakdown of the actual dollars Pitt County Schools (PCS) has spent for lawyers defending their failed 2005 Student Reassignment Plan.
I have been sent information that tells me and you how much money PCS has spent on legal fees, with the NOTATION that the amounts provided include all attorney fees and not just those associated with the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit.
Before I report the numbers I would be remiss if I did not say that I cannot understand why PCS leadership would not want to keep the lawsuit costs separate from the rest of the District's legal bills. One would think management would want to know the cost of the lawsuit. One would assume leadership would think the public, at some point, might want to know. Let's take it one step further, too. One would think that having these amounts separated in the PCS accounting system would have been a very good business practice — maybe not one that is required by law — but certainly a practice management would have wanted to see separated for detail purposes.
Apparently, that did not happen. For me to get that information, I have to put some poor staffers to the task of pulling and copying those documents for me so I can pull it out. I don't mind doing the work that should have already been done but I hate to pile more work on those who are not responsible. So, I plan to report the figures that have been made available to me and let the readers decipher from that what they wish. That will give me time to think about whether I believe there is something in those documents that is more worthwhile to see.
These are the numbers from PCS. They are not my own. So here goes:
In FY 2006, $40,443.30 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm.
In FY 2007, $85,403.63 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm and $11,154.99 to Adrian A. Garcia, P.A., for a total of $96,618.62.
In FY 2008, $54,142.34 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $40,382.70 to the Tharrington and Smith law firm, $690 to Carol Moore, and $1,753.75 to the Brocker Law Firm for a total of $103,841.20.
In FY 2009, through February, $3,573.82 was paid to Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $35,095.56 to Tharrington and Smith law firm, $345 to Carol Moore, $3,922.50 to the Brocker Law Firm and $7,925.00 to the Everett, Gaskins and Handcock law firm, for a total of $50,861.88.
Over the period noted, the total cost for legal fees have been $291,176.50. I can't tell you how much is for the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit. Maybe PCS management will finally decide legal feels spent on the lawsuit is important enough to research and freely provide to the board members and the public.
What I do know is that the law firm of Tharrington and Smith has predominantly worked on the lawsuit. Their fees total $75,478.26. I would guess the legal fees for the 2005 case will exceed $100,000.
Before I forget, all this does not include the annual salary of the school board's on-staff attorney who earns $80,000 annually, not including benefits.

Approved project list

It is now official!
The Pitt County School Board of Education approved a $37 million project list Monday night as a part of their ongoing Long Range Facility Plan.
Approved were the following projects:
• $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School.
•$6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, etc at D.H. Conley High School.
•$8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria,etc.
•4.2 million for 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking.
•$16.1 million for a new 742 capacity model elementary school.
•$350,000 for a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes.
•$200,000 for a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter
The board also closed Third Street School in its action on Monday.
Additonally, the school board signed off on student reassignment of students at A.G. Cox, C.M. Eppes and E.B. Aycock middle schools.
What will be interesting is to see how Pitt County School staff will handle the reassignment of students at the three schools mentioned above.

Cost to fight 2005 Redistricting Plan

I initially posted some figures on this Pitt County Schools issue that were not totally accurate.
I asked to get the attorney costs associated with the lawsuit over the 2005 redistricting case. When those figures were returned to me, there was a notation in parenthesis that said the figures provided were for all attorney feels (not just the reassignment case).
I have made another public records request to have those figures broken down so the public knows how their public funds are being spent to defend a lawsuit, or to provide me with the attorneys' bills so I can do the math.
So, stay tuned. I'm planning on getting those numbers posted here soon.

Tonight's School Board Meeting

The Pitt County Schools facility committee will recommend that more than $37 million of their initial $57 million Long Range Facility Plan be approved tonight during their regular March meeting.
What will be recommended to the board tonight will be a $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School, $6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, renovating the auditorium, parking and a new traffic plan at D.H. Conley High School, and $8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria, and various other upgrades.
Also recommended will be the addition of 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking for a cost of $4.2 million., a new 742 capacity model elementary school for $16.1 million, a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes at a cost of $350,000, and a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter at a cost of $200,000.
It will also be recommended that Third Street Schools should be closed and student reassignment be activated between A.G. Cox, C.M. Epps and E.B. Aycock schools.