For the past several weeks, I have read with interest the deluge of letters berating the members of the Fayette County Board of Education.

The negative letters have unfairly criticized the board for having the courage to propose and approve a request asking the citizens of Fayette County to vote in favor of a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The deluge of negative letters would lead one to believe that there are barely any supporters of the SPLOST living in the county. Well, negative letter writers, you are wrong, there is a large and growing support for the SPLOST!

The need for the $90 million dollars is for today's students. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that our schools are in desperate need of more and better facilities for learning. When school buildings that are less than five years old have multiple trailer classrooms, that is a clear indication of a current need for improvement.

Not only is there a current need for more classroom space but there is also a need for updating, renovating, and upgrading of our school buildings. There are not many of us who will live in our homes and not seek to update, renovate, or upgrade them after a certain time as the need so dictates.

Therefore, how those who oppose the SPLOST on the basis that they believe the board is guilty of mismanaging funds is inconceivable. A tour of any of our older school buildings will immediately reveal a need for some major capital improvements. Buildings do not make great students or great school systems. However, if the building in which learning is to take place is uncomfortable, cramped or inadequate, it will hurt the overall performance of our kids.

If the current trend for patching up our school facilities continues, it will only be a matter of time before a majority of the facilities are inadequate for learning. When that deterioration occurs, not only will our kids' ability to learn suffer, but the investment that many of us have made in our homes will also suffer. There are many examples of other communities who have not invested in their school systems and the result has been decreasing property values.

The negative letter writers have also complained about the inclusion of athletic facilities in the SPLOST. I am not an athlete and I do not follow sports. However, I recognize that athletics is an integral part of a school's curriculum. It is very narrow thinking for a person to espouse that athletic facilities will only be used by the teams of each school. The students who must take physical education in each school will be the ones who utilize the athletic facilities the most.

So why is there such a need for more classroom space and upgrading of our schools? Obviously, everyone is well aware of the growth that has occurred in this county over the past few years. Most people who are against the SPLOST are quick to blame the growth on developers who build subdivisions with numerous new homes in them.

I wonder how many of the families who move into these new developments are longtime residents of Fayette County who are taking the opportunity to move-up and reselling their former home to a family moving into the county.

If that is the case, then the development is being fueled more by longtime residents moving into new developments more than new citizens coming into the county. Even if new citizens who are moving into the county are fueling the development, we should be proud that others are attracted to our county. I do not know many people who want to live in a place that is not improving each day.

Development of the county cannot be halted. It will occur either through developers or by individuals buying one parcel of land at a time. We should give the county commissioners and city council some credit for monitoring the development and making certain that it all fits with the overall growth plan for the county. If the vast majority of the new housing development occurred piecemeal, there is no telling what Fayette County would be like not only today, but tomorrow as well.

Our kids need our support. Our school system desperately needs additional money to take care of a very pressing need today. I am glad that our current board of education had the courage to propose this SPLOST. Their courage not only addresses a pressing need for more classroom space and facilities upgrades today, but also they have done a great job in planning for future growth to prevent having to come to the citizens and ask for more money every few years.

I have attended many board meetings and will attend many more in the future. I am impressed with the way our board is very careful of how they spend our money and manage the school system for our kids.

The SPLOST is the best way in which we can immediately begin to improve the facilities in which our kids are educated. Many have promoted the idea of imposing an impact fee on developers. The impact fee will provide some additional revenue but it will be negligible and take years to amount to any significant amount. The SPLOST is for $90 million dollars and can only be imposed upon us for five years or less. If the $90 million dollars is collected prior to the five year time period, then the penny sales tax is dropped.

I am certain that if our schools continue to excel the way that they have today and in the past, growth in this county will continue. Surely, there will come a time again in the future when more dollars will likely be needed for more classrooms and building upgrades. However, today the need for additional money for our kids and schools is immediate.

We must join together and vote YES for the SPLOST to continue the support for our kids and their top-notch education in Fayette County.

Emory Wilkerson
Fayetteville

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