It appears there may be quite a bit of responsibility for the error on the shoulders of the county treasurer, Keith Williams. The county was the "holder" of the funds. His office was instructed (in writing) to invest, not dispurse, the funds. Let's see what the facts show before we roast anyone.

The special board meeting for tonight has been canceled! Let's all be sure to go to the next one. The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, Jan. 21 at 5:30. They are normally held in the district boardroom, inside the quad, at the district offices, on Old Highway, up the hill to the left of Mariposa County High School.

There will be a special board meeting at 5:30, Tuesday, December 22. We all need to take the time to be there, at least at the beginning of the meeting, to show the board that we care. There is no excuse for the mismanagement of our children's education. Please, everyone who reads this, call a community member and ask them to call a community member. Let's pack the board room. This meeting is more important than this year's Christmas shopping. Instead, help give the children of the community a better education. That is a gift that will last a lifetime.

This man has been a disaster ever since the board gave him this job, and Eldon Henderson and Janette Gamble have been complicit in his destruction of the district, from funds for pencils to teacher morale. Isn't this the last straw. All three should be sent packing, and without a lunch ticket.

This seems rather strange. There are some important details missing. Supposedly the district owes the money to who? Who made the announcement?

Wait a second... It might not be such a big deal if someone at the district office lost the little styrofoam cup of loose change next to the coffee maker, but not knowing about a million dollar loan? A million dollars?? Doesn't the term 'superintendent' imply knowledge of what's going on in the place superintended?

"Loans" that must be repaid by June can be TRANs or Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes. If this is the case, the board had to pass a resolution authorizing the TRAN loan. It doesn't make sense that they didn't know they had a loan...

Wow, we need to see some action by the School Board immediately. Mr. Panietz claims he doesn't know anything about the million that was borrowed. If this is true, he is incredibly incompletent and should be let go right now! More likely he is telling the board and the public another lie and he has signed for that million and is foolish enough to think we won't be able to find out. We need his office sealed, his secretary on administrative leave, removed from the files and the files reviewed with a fine tooth comb. Mr. Panietz needs to be fired!

Someone from the state needs to come up here and look into this entire situation. Something is very wrong and our students are suffering because of this mismanagement!

I don't understand. Your newspaper reported in the 11-26 edition, less than a month ago, that the school district was a million in the black. Superintendent Panietz was quoted as saying, "This offers an opportunity with the unappropriated amount to reduce the very large class sizes that concern us all." I was over the moon, because my son is in such overcrowded classes at the middle school that I worry he won't be able to get out safely if there is a fire. Now you say our district is 1.7 million in the red? Then, to my horror, your article goes on to state, "In additon to the budget shortfall, the board learned that the district had received more than $1 million in the form of a loan that ...must be budgeted for payback by June of the next year." Are you saying that we are suddenly 2.7 million in the red? How could that be possible?