Leadership needed: 'In total, the school system is a mess'

Leadership

needed: 'In total, the school system is a mess'

Education is one of

the most significant undertakings of our society.

Everyone, either directly or indirectly, benefits from

the education that we choose to provide for our young

people. The quality of that education is returned to us

via inventions, new businesses and jobs, and improved

processes that make goods and services more affordable

for us all.

Responsive,

responsible government is equally important. For through

that government the level of disposable income is

established that determines how much money we actually

have to spend. The choices that we make after that are

ours and ours alone. How much of our earnings are

available for our choices? Today approximately 42 percent

of each dollar earned goes to taxes. This includes sales

taxes, social security taxes, excise taxes, property

taxes, and of course school taxes. The list goes on and

on.

As

responsible citizens we understand that some taxes are

essential. We demand police services, representation in

our legislative bodies, fire departments, judicial

concerns, and education for our young people. These

services are not cheap and the costs for these continue

to rise each year. Sometimes it is necessary for the

citizens to look at the costs of services and the means

to fund them. It may become necessary to draw a line that

we simply cannot exceed.

Ask

yourself, what is a fair tax rate? Is it 42 percent? Or

is 52 percent fair? What about 62 or even 82 percent?

Where do we stop? When do we draw the line?

A few years

ago, Fayette County citizens approved a bond referendum

for $58 million to build the south complex with all of

the amenities. Today, the board of education is poised to

ask Fayette citizens to vote for another bond and/or

SPLOST to build more schools. The only problem is that

the bond money raised has been spent, the old bonds have

not been retired, and more importantly, the schools have

not been completed.

Herein lies

a major problem and begs numbers of questions. Where did

the money raised via bonds go? Why was the south complex

not completed? Why are we spending current board of

education operational funds to do things that bond money

was approved to achieve? Why do we seem to have an

ongoing financial crisis within the school system? Is

this a classic case of overspending and/or

under-planning?

To answer

these questions the board of education will readily tell

you that the Olympics in 1996 caused the cost to overrun.

I say, Why were the Olympics not taken into consideration

in the planning of the schools and the bond referendum?

Or, they

will tell you that was an old board that created those

problems and the newly elected board is addressing the

issues. I say, if that is the case, how can you, within

months of election, before you can possible assess the

predicament, talk of bond referendums and SPLOST? Or how

can the board possibly submit a record budget with

increases galore? Or maybe they think that the good

citizens will bail the school system out for the sake of

our children?

The answers

are boiler plate. But you and I all know that before we

spend more we need more solid answers. How do we know

that the new bond referendum will cover the costs of

building the schools that the board says we need? Or,

will we end with yet more incomplete buildings and no

money to pay for the project?

The Fayette

County schools are not equally equipped. Some are old

facilities in bad need of upgrading. Some have holes in

the ceilings and deteriorating walls. Some have toilets

that do not flush properly and create a health hazard.

Some are new and still have not been completed. Some have

modern facilities while others struggle with what they

have to complete the day. Some of these inequities exist

because of the infighting and jealousy between the areas

and the schools. Others exist because the Fayette Board

of Education has not updated the facilities effectively

and has not lead the charge from a system prospective.

In total,

the school system is a mess. Principals have considerable

discretionary funds, such that one school may have a

sprinkler system and no grass while another has books in

lieu of volumes of computers. The PTO/PTSOs are

contributors to the inequity as well. One PTSO may

purchase a phone system while another is busy producing

uniforms for the students for extracurricular activities.

All of

these items warrant considerable attention. The schools

need to come to a reasonable standard regardless of their

location. These schools all need to be maintained

consistently and religiously to protect the county's

investment in the facilities. We need to explore options

that better utilize the buildings that we have before we

add to the confusion. We need to examine alternatives

within the school system and find ways to reduce the

student population without adding new buildings. We need

to think better and wiser and exhaust our options before

we throw more money as a solution. In short, we need a

better plan!

Thus far we

know that more money via bonds and taxes has not rendered

a solution. Why should we expect some revelation in the

future? Personally, I believe that a responsive,

responsible government can find ways to produce the

things that we, the citizens, need without forcing the

tax rate to 46 or 56 percent.

We can

choose to lead in this important endeavor or we can

follow the path traveled before. For on that path we

already know what we will find - more schools, more

money, more taxes, and more unresolved issues.

Or, we can

choose innovation with reduced costs of operation, and

fewer taxes. The choice is clear.

William

H. Moon

Fayetteville

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