Washington County Schools Budget Request

According to the Washington County News, the Washington County School Board has requested an additional $749,000 in carry-over funds for heating upgrades at county schools. I have no problem inherent with this request. However, I do have a problem with a statement made by Mr. Buckey Boone:

While Boone said increasing teacher’s salaries is a priority it’s not the only one.“If this continues to happen, and we continue to cut the budget on our end, eventually we’re going to be cutting something out that’s good for our children,” he said.

Budget cuts are a fact of life. We all have to face reality and realize that we're not going to get every funding increase approved. Mr. Boone's statement is correct on one regard. If cuts continue, something beneficial to the students will eventually be dropped. However, I want to go on record and say that I would view a teacher raise hidden within a emergency request without esteem and merit.

Finally, I would simply suggest to our county officials that I'm tired of seeing bond issues come before the voters for this project or that project. I would like to see a candidate or incumbent stand up and say "We don't have the money for this, I'm not going to finance any more projects with bond issues."