CLARK COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) — A line of moving trucks, packed dumpsters, and growing frustrations over taxpayer spending have ignited controversy in Clark County.
Tuesday, residents noticed several moving trucks coming and going from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on Hamburg Pike in Jeffersonville. Some trucks were unloading items, while others appeared to be removing them altogether.
Just last week, at least eight or nine large dumpsters were spotted around the property — packed full of school furniture and other materials. By Tuesday evening, the dumpsters were empty.
Charlotte Davis and her family were among the Clark County residents who combed through the trash.
“Ya know what, I think that is sinful,” Davis said as she pulled items from the piles, emphasizing that many of the discarded items were still in good condition. “They are lunchroom tables.”
Davis said district staff told her they were allowed to take whatever they found in the dumpsters.
“They said anything in the dumpsters we could get,” she recalled.
The controversy comes amid growing concerns about how taxpayer money is being spent. Tuesday night, the Greater Clark County School Board held a business meeting to discuss the construction of two new elementary schools and other district projects.
But recent spending has residents wary — particularly after former Utica Township Fire Chief and Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel was accused of misusing public funds. Some fear that similar financial mismanagement could affect schools and other essential services.
“If that fire district goes through, it’s going to take a significant amount of money out of our operational fund — to the tune of close to $4 million over three years,” a district official said during the meeting.
School leaders also said the district is preparing for growth.
“The Charlestown High School project is going to be needed,” Mark Laughner, Greater Clark County Schools superintendent, said. “There’s no doubt growth is going to continue to happen out in Charlestown. That school is almost at capacity.”
But many residents are skeptical.
“Our homes are not your piggy banks,” one parent said during public comment.
As for the discarded furniture, school officials said they began tagging items two months ago that could still be used elsewhere in the district.
“Anything that is usable or something we could use in another elementary school throughout the district — we’re tagging and saving,” Laughner said.
Still, the sight of full dumpsters — and the ease with which residents were able to retrieve clean, usable items — has left many questioning the transparency and priorities of school leadership.
For now, the dumpsters are empty, but the debate over school spending in Clark County is far from over.
The post Clark County residents question school spending after dumpsters filled with surplus items first appeared on Voxtrend News.
