Those Pesky Bonds

I don’t get to vote in the primaries (being neither Republican or Democrat) but I do get to vote on the bond issues. I’ve been thinking about them for weeks, going back and forth in my mind. There was a time when I approved almost all local bond referendums. The slight increase in taxes didn’t impact me much, and I figured that the local leaders knew what we needed. Well, things are different now.

Here's what I think I am going to do. Feel free to try to change my mind!

1. Parks and Recreation (20.2 million). In terms of bang for the buck I think Parks and Recreation dollars serve the public good more than most other items that appear on bond issues, and I think the particular projects in this bond issue are worth the relatively small price tag. I vote yes.

2. Guilford County Jail (114 million). I am all for more people downtown :-) and I am sympathetic to the plight of folks having to bunk in hallways, but I am not convinced either that all reasonable alternatives have been exhausted, that the reason not to renovate has been adequately made clear, or that the impact on downtown parking and ongoing upkeep costs have been fully explained. I wonder too if the entire governmental complex needs a makeover. It is so ugly it is a blight upon a downtown makign a great comeback. I am hesitant on this, but for now, I vote no.

3. GTCC (79.5 million). I think GTCC holds many keys to the success of our area. Both our public schools and our colleges and universities are failing to provide the technical education needed for so many in our area to have the skills needed for decent jobs, and for us to be able to provide skilled workers for a growing and changing economy. I vote yes.

4. Guilford County Schools (412 million). I know of little else other than police and fire protection, and building and highway safety that is more important for a local government to provide than quality education for its citizen’s children. I am a huge advocate of a strong public school system, and the need for quality education for our children, especially in reading. Yet I find it ironic that a project deemed so necessary for our children will burden them with so much debt down the line. Personally, if we had to invest 412 million dollars in our schools I would put it elsewhere than in brick and mortar. In the end, good teachers, good curriculum, and good parent-school communication, and not nice buildings, are the most important things. I taught public school for five years myself. I think I was in five different rooms of greatly varying quality!

The quality of the room or facility was way less important than my knowledge of and love for the subject, my creativity, and my interest in, indeed my earnest care for the students. For me, the bottom line is that I do not trust our school board or central office to allocate and spend our bond money in an efficient and effective manner. Perhaps it is Terry Grier hangover. And we know the way the system works that this 412 million can easily become much greater, and we also know that plans can change and we may not get what we approve anyway. Until we somehow break the stranglehold that the great triumvirate (the teachers “union” – even if it isn’t really, the college education departments, and the local school districts have over teacher certification, until we shake off “One Child Left Behind” which has killed teacher creativity and morale, until we start paying teachers as if we really think what they do is significant, until we stop doing stupid stuff to boost the reputation of our superintendents rather than the well being of our students (like making students take AP classes), and until we offer more and better schooling options for families in the most ill served areas, I won’t approve any more large school bond referendums. I vote no.

5. Eastern High school (45 million). I can’t see 45 mil for a high school, and why it is that we do not have our major infrastructure facilities insured at replacement cost I have no clue, but the folks in the eastern part of our county need a new high school – it’s not their fault they are without a school building, and rented facilities will only work for so long. With suspicion about the cost, I vote yes.