Wednesday, November 1, 2000

By AMY RILEY
One Citizen's Perspective

By this time next week, we'll have the answers to a whole bunch of important questions. We'll know who will lead this country for the next four years, we'll know which political party powerhouse will hold the coveted majority of seats in the House and Senate, and folks in this little corner of the world will know whether or not our school system has earned your support on a school bond for new schools construction.

And before I go any further, I must divulge that I am a parent participant on the Community Coalition for Fayette Schools political action committee. For the past month, I have rolled up my sleeves alongside some other very committed and hard-working people to help promote the $65 million school bond referendum for new schools in Fayette county. I ask that you indulge me this week as I make a heartfelt plea for your support on this funding referendum.

How I came to this point in my life, living in Fayette county, becoming heavily involved in our local school system, ingesting volumes of information on education and our political process, and writing this column has been a blur and a whirlwind. I am just a mom, someone just like you, who cares deeply about where we've been and where we're going. I am involved because it is a privilege to be involved.

We all have our own opinions and perceptions about this community we live in, but I think all of us have the sense that what we have here is something special. Those who strive to promote growth do so because they have a vision for how to make a great place better. Those who strive for slowed growth do so because they want to preserve the great place we've already achieved.

Regardless of where you stand on the growth issue, one of the best things about Fayette is the school system. For many of us, it was the overriding factor in our decision to move here. Some of you probably wish we had not, but strapping a school system with a very serious overcrowding situation simply to protest growth is a little like holding the drought-stricken responsible for the lack of rain. The Board of Education cannot stop growth. They can present the impact of growth on the school system to the responsible governing bodies, and they do. Beyond that, they must deal with growth as it comes.

I think many people in this county are feeling a little "burned" by increases in property assessments and the increase in the county's portion of our property taxes. And yet, technically speaking, you wouldn't want your property assessments going down. We have all chosen to invest in Fayette County. For our investment to continue to pay dividends, we must nurture our community. One way to nurture a community is to support the community's schools.

Some of you, probably most of you, are irritated about the new jail. You don't want it and you don't want to pay for it. Fair enough. The decision to go forward with the new jail was made to address overcrowding and divert a potential federal lawsuit. To vote no to the school bond because you didn't have a vote on the jail isn't going to change the fact that the jail is coming.

Some of you are just plain fed up with taxes and the huge bite it takes out of your livelihood. For a conservative Republican, voting for a tax increase is a "jagged little pill" to swallow, but that is exactly what I am going to do. For me, it's about necessary sacrifice.

On a $200,000 home, the school bond will cost about $80 a year for the next 10 years. In truth, the one mill increase puts you back to about the same rate you were paying in 1998. The one mill could go down over the 10-year life of the payback if growth in the tax digest exceeds the 5 percent yearly estimate included in the bond package.

It's cheaper for most people than a SPLOST would have been. For the senior citizens who are exempt from the school's portion on their property taxes, the bond will cost nothing.

Some of you have other reasons that determine how you vote on the school bond referendum. Some may be home schooling or sending your children to private schools. Some may not have children, but for the rest of the community there is a bigger picture to be considered. We all benefit from living in a community which is home to a top-notch school system.

For those who can and will, as a parent, as a committee member helping to promote this bond, as a community activist, and one who is grateful to call Fayette home, thank you for supporting this bond. Remember, it's the last item on the back of the ballot. Help us put schools first.

[Your comments are welcome: ARileyFreePress@aol.com.]

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