Letter to County Commissioners - With a Correction for My Jan. 23 Letter to Legislators (Scroll Down)

Sirs,

I stand corrected on some information that I sent to you earlier this week. On the matter of who will pay for the electric and natural gas expenditures for Wake County's additional mandatory year-round schools, I am mistaken. After a conversation with someone in the office of county budget, I came to find out that in our situation, Wake County actually covers those costs for the public schools, not the state. Since I am practically paranoid about the accuracy of my facts, and thought I had checked behind myself enough, I humbly offer my apology for the faulty information. The confusion came in what specifically falls under "operating expenses" and what falls under "maintenance of plant." I have learned a lot, but am sorry I had to do so at the expense of your valuable time!

So - what that means is that the expenses in my last email are the county's responsibility - an estimated quarter of a million in energy costs alone for only 2 summer months (not even based on the hottest ones) for the 26 additional year-round schools that are to open in the '07-'08 school year. Not to mention all of the new schools in the future that are slated to open MYR. I know they say we will save on construction, but those of us who believe that seats can still be found in existing traditional and/or year-round schools don't buy that.

Is there some way to use this information to delay the School Board's vote on February 6th? Wishful thinking? They need to do much more research and be "up front" with the tax payers on additional expenditures. I think what "gets me" as much as anything is hearing School Board members say, "It's too late to change now." Besides having months/years of notice that citizens would never stand for this (and why), they were presumptuous enough to start the conversion process last September, long before the bond even passed! You may recall this one email I sent in early October where a teacher friend talks of this school year being a "wash" because everyone is "scurrying around" to prepare for next year: http://soswake.blogspot.com/2006/10/letter-to-local-and-state-leaders.html (go down to first quote). This week I heard from a teacher at Rand Road who wrote the following:

"What is going on?? What is the most pressing thing I can do right now? We just got an email about more conversion stuff....the building being open on w[eek]ends so people can come in and throw out and purge....b/c the carts are on the way (year round carts).....

What will be happening at the CC and BoE meetings? I am still holding out hope and praying!!"

Has the School Board even definitely told the public exactly where they will get all of the money for these conversions that they are currently setting up? So many questions!

The School Board members are determined to "pass the point of no return", when they are the very ones who rushed to put things in place just so they could make that claim. I thank all of you so very much, and hope that at some point the School Board will be confronted on these matters by someone to whom they will have to be accountable! As you know, this is far, far from over...Sorry this is so long!

Sincerely,

Louise