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My feeling from listening to the people of this county over the past 12 years of living here is that something like 74 percent of the general publi • would also sign their names to that statement. An unfortunate and explosive situation is happening because of our supervisors representing their own personal interests or the interests of a small minority or our county’s citizens. At the recent public input meeting on the school budget, only one citizen spoke up in favor of a reduced school budget.
The School Board has now trimmed the budget the mandated $120,000, but there is $5,000 less for professional improvement; $5,000 less for instructional supplies (“We’ll have to rely on teachers being creative”); $2,000 less for books, supplies and periodicals; no retirement benefit; and the list goes on. Now teachers are no where near the average in surrounding counties in a wage and benefit package. A minor, but disgusting, reality is that there won’t even be enough funds to replace window shades soiled by years <jf a leaky roof at the elementary school.
This isn’t fair. Rappahannock is not poorer than surrounding counties. I urge the Board of Supervisors to reconsider their decision. It is not their responsibility to sabotage hours and hours of work on the part of the School Board and administrators, but rather to be concerned enough and creative enough to find a way to come up with the extra funds to support the School Board’s “ho fat” budget.
If personal interests or minority pressures 'xre causing four supervisors not to give our school system a decent budget, they should step down. We, the majority of citizens in this co ’nty, want fair representation.
CAMILLE HARRIS
Washington
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