Get over the sticker shock

As per the request of county commissioners, the Wayne County School Board recently compiled a list of school construction needs. When the list came back to the county, the total supposedly staggered some. Some are already dismissing the amount as too big.
Get over it.
I don’t think there are any swimming pools being added to any of the schools or deluxe teacher lounges. Or leather furniture for a principal’s office.
School construction money in Wayne County for many years has been whittled down to little more than bailing wire and what you can get by with for now, just like current expense money. What the schools have gotten in recent years has been hard fought, just like the money in this year’s budget, which went to arbitration.
Yes, it is a whopping big number, but it really shouldn’t be that surprising. Get over it.
County commissioners have recently toured the schools and seen, first hand, much of the needs across the county. Many of our students are not in reasonable learning situations. That the staffs at our schools are effective despite the working conditions is remarkable. It’s a credit to both the teachers and the students.
What is on the books right now for construction does not even reach the most pressing needs in northern Wayne County. Both Norwayne and Aycock are too big. They are trying to process too many students through those buildings every day. There are too many students packed into the hallways not to have more fights break out. There are too many students they are trying to feed every day.
The Freshman Academy program at Aycock is being hailed as innovative, as it should be. Compartmentalizing the ninth grade at the school is part of trying to cope with the huge numbers at the school. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that program grew from just trying to make the numbers work.
I am tired of the wrestling match between the county commissioners and school board over money. Yes, I know it’s important as the county deals with growth issues, and there have been some things that schools probably should have handled better. Let’s move things forward. Get over it.
If a bond issue is needed to help address these needs, or a series of bond issues are needed, let’s get something started. Let the county manager come up with how he would propose to meet those needs. Does he want to address some out of pocket over the next three years or five years? Yes, it is going to be a tough issue to deal with. Get over it.
There are many who feel that bond issues are a way of spreading out the payments for schools over the years they are being used, much as a mortgage allows us to pay for homes over the years we live in a house. I know many of us have conservative backgrounds that discourage taking on debt, but with the costs of today and in meeting growth, most counties have to resort to bond issues to fund new construction. Current interest rates are still a comparative bargain. It’s a good time to finance.
I know some would like to hold on to a proud self-image of a county with little indebtedness. If that means students continuing to attend schools in inadequate facilities, get over it.
We should take no pride in having a low tax rate while still having under-funded schools. We need to get over it, and get ‘er done.