SAN ANTONIO – Michelle Jimenez Reyes says, “I have to laugh because it really makes me angry.”
She is already fighting San Antonio ISD’s plan to possibly close down Burbank High School because of budget problems.
And now Jimenez notes the “superintendent has said we have to close school because we don't have enough money. And then they turn around and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trash truck and dumpsters that now they've decided they won't use.”
She's talking about a trash truck parked in an SAISD lot. District officials paid almost $250,000 for it and some new dumpsters to do their own trash collecting at its high schools. But now it has backed off of that plan and critics like Michelle are crying foul.
To make sure your money is being spent wisely, News 4 WOAI went to SAISD for answers.
SAISD spokesperson, Leslie Price, defends the district by saying, “The idea of buying the new truck is to find greater efficiencies and we think we'll see cost savings. With recycling alone, that could be $80,000 a year.”
Trash collection last year, according to a source with the district, cost taxpayers almost $500,000.
Trustees have gone out looking for a new company. One that's put in a bid tells the Trouble Shooters off camera it could do the job for hundred of thousands dollars less but fears trustees will stay with their old standby - Waste Management. It’s a decision that could possibly cost taxpayers millions more over time.
The trustees are planning on voting on this in the upcoming weeks.
SAISD leaders also sent us this statement:
We didn't purchase the truck to do the high schools. We purchased the truck to replace the old one to do surplus trash pickup. Then we ALSO saw the opportunity to save money and use it for central admin, recycling and high school pickup. It's correct that we won't move ahead in doing our own pickup at high schools, but we will handle the other areas. And again - the high school pickup was not the reason for the purchase, so that statement is very misleading about the purpose of the purchase. And the only plan we backed off of was for the high schools (the dumpsters are for the recycling waste and we will still do that).
