The Money

Robina Rich Bouffault Two-thirds of our county's budget is used to fund our public schools. We are currently in the third year of a 50% real estate tax increase, an increase which is dedicated almost exclusively to funding the construction of a new high school.

Since 2004 to the end of May, 2007, almost $1,800,000 has been spent, mainly on architects, engineers and lawyers, to study contract, negotiate for the 71 acre site and come up with a supposedly viable project. A further $1,000,000+ is still encumbered on the current VMDO contract. See the exact details on New High School Costs To-Date.

Yet, after three years and all that money, there is still no viable high school project.

Our county only has 14,500 residents and we cannot afford to continue hemorraging money to fund the mistakes being made. These mistakes are sucking the oxygen out of our county - all of the other county services paid for by our county's Budget are being squeezed relentlessly to divert a maximum amount of money to the schools budget.

During this time, our school administration has continued to shift its operational Priorities away from academics and into administration - while continuing to demand more and more money.

There needs to be a new approach.

"Such a degree of learning [should be] given to every member of the society as will enable him to read, to judge and to vote understandingly on what is passing."

--Thomas Jefferson to Littleton Waller Tazewell, 1805

"We looked at the problems facing America and realized that if we are going to be a competitive nation, we need a far better educated populace than we have now. The American K-12 public education has gone from No. 1 in the world some 30 years ago, to No. 19. We thought, This is bad for the country and bad for our democracy."

--Eli Broad - multi-billionaire, (founder - SunAmerica). Has now established The Broad Residency in Urban Education.