There have been some well-written articles by others critiquing the pursuit of ESPLOST this fall. There have been other articles about how we will be gaining ESPLOST tax revenue from residents outside of Fayette County who shop here.

The bottom line — and let me make it clear — is that it is going to cost me more to purchase goods where I live in Fayette County.

I don’t want to pay more when it is not needed. It is clear to me that the rate of growth in Fayette County has been decreasing. With a stagnant tax base and unfilled elementary school seats, why are we still building another elementary school? I will get more to that later.

What I see is a Board of Education realizing that they can’t continue to maintain their current spend rate and bloated infrastructure. So they are asking for ESPLOST.

Rather than address the true economic realities and make the tough but necessary adjustments, the BOE and superintendent are asking for five years of guaranteed money (up to $115 million) to continue an unrealistic trend.

If the BOE with increases in school taxes of 35 percent over five years (that is how much my school taxes went up) could not afford to save for a rainy day, what do you think they are going to do with this money?

Yes, some will go towards debt reduction, computers, etc., but I guarantee they will continue to expand their infrastructure and “lock in” fixed costs for many years.

They don’t want to do their job and really, really look at how to cut costs.

The BOE needs to manage with a business mentality. That is what the taxpayers expect.

As a manager at one of the largest employers in Coweta County, when economic times are tough, we make the necessary adjustments in capital, expenses, head-count hiring, etc., to weather the storm.

Yes, there are tough decisions to make to reduce fixed costs. In addition, a lot of work is done on how to continuously improve productivity and quality to reduce variable costs. This means focused efforts, commitment, stretch goals and putting your neck on the line. There is a sense of urgency and you feel it.

Surely, the action of sticking out your hand for more money to continue a way of life that can’t be supported does not send a message of urgency.

For example, if the board was serious about the current situation, it would have already stopped building the new Rivers Elementary School.

A lot of people say you can’t stop because its “free” money and we need to use it.

I say, “Why would you spend ‘free’ money on something you don’t need and will ultimately increase your other fixed costs that you can’t currently support?”

That “free” money could have been repurposed for other needs, but the BOE chose to be blind to that option.

For example, Kia in LaGrange stopped their new car factory building for a period of time when they were having trouble. Businesses make these tough decisions. Is our BOE willing to do the same?

I know there are already incurred costs with the Rivers Elementary building, and there might be contractual penalties to pay. However, our BOE has clearly shown it is OK to pay $40,000 for a redistricting consultant and then throw that money away. Stop the spending on an elementary school we don’t need.

I’ve decided our BOE and superintendent aren’t capable of managing in the current economic conditions and unwilling to do the job the taxpayers expect. The BOE is using ESPLOST to avoid their job duty.

Lastly, I am not in favor of hurting our school system. I believe Fayette County has a great school system, and it still can be without ESPLOST. However, to accomplish this will require leadership and a business person’s approach. I’m not seeing it from our BOE.

Michael Chrzanowski

Peachtree City, Ga.