Today’s N&R Short Stack editorial says:
Sometime before the Nov. 1 anniversary of the Eastern Guilford High School fire, county leaders should remember their promise to make rebuilding a top priority. So far, commissioners and school board members have wasted too much time bickering about funding.
The Eastern Guilford community needs a high school. The county has a duty to build it. Of course finding the best way to pay for it is critical. But the job must get done, as promised.
This week’s Rhino takes a look at the latest negotiations between Guilford County commissioners and school board members. The article reports that the $440 million school bond, including the cost for Eastern, will go on the May 2008 ballot. If that’s officially the case, then I missed it.
But here’s the question school board member Anita Sharpe had for county finance director Brenda Fox: What’s the backup plan if the bond fails?
Fox said the county commissioners could look at COPs, and if there wasn’t a majority vote on COPs, then the county would turn to borrowing the money from the bank. Grier then mentioned a rumor that he heard to put Eastern on a separate bond from the other 27 projects, so that in case the big bond fails, there would be a chance that voters would vote for funding for Eastern.
Sharpe said she didn’t like the idea of putting Eastern on a separate bond because, as Fox explained to school board members, they would have to use that money solely for Eastern. For the schools to spend money on what they say they are going to spend money on has been next to impossible.
The last paragraph is soooo true. As I’ve said before, putting Eastern on a bond with other projects is a very risky move due to GCS’ poor reputation for following through on bond projects. It makes sense to put Eastern on a separate bond because voters realize the fire that destroyed the school was a circumstance beyond the school system’s control. Therefore, it’s likely voters would be more sympathetic at the ballot box. I would think county commissioners would go for that plan, but it evidently makes too much sense for the school board.
