Why Are Syracuse Schools Spending Big Bucks on Retired Staff?

The Syracuse City School District is making some big moves with taxpayer money. They want to pay $250, 000 to two retired executives for consulting services. That's a lot of cash, and the school board isn't being very open about why they think this is a good idea. The board has seven members, all elected by voters. But they're not doing a great job of explaining their decisions. The latest plan is to bring back Superintendent Anthony Davis on a $125, 000 contract. He retired recently but now they want him to coach new high school principals. But why? The new superintendent, Pamela Odom, is already there and knows the district well. She should be able to handle this herself. Davis didn't even bother to explain why he's needed. And when reporters asked, the district said they looked at other consultants but didn't actually seek competitive bids. That doesn't make sense. They also gave a two-year contract to Tim Moon, the former chief information officer, to train someone on a state data reporting system. But why did he need two years? And why didn't they plan for his retirement sooner? The school board has a big problem with being open. They have a policy where only the board president can talk to reporters. And even she didn't want to talk about these contracts. Board members get paid $15, 000 a year but don't seem to want to answer for their decisions. For example, one member voted against Odom's appointment as superintendent but won't say why. The district is a big deal in Syracuse. It educates over 19, 000 kids and has 4, 600 staff members. They spend $611 million every year. That's a lot of money, and the board needs to be open about how they're spending it. They should let teachers and staff tell the good stories about the district. Being open and honest is the right thing to do.