The Morning After

This is an interesting day. I always said that I had no interest in running for public office even though I have always had an interest in politics. Through a combination of circumstances, I violated that plan. The reason was my involvment in the Community Schools SOS campaign. Some supporters from that group persuaded me that the voters deserved a choice and that Seaton Fairless, the leader of the school consolidation campaign, should not run unopposed. I opposed further school consolidation as it has been a disaster here in Bertie County, just as it has been across our nation. I was certain that our current school system has more money than they need to get our children into at least the middle of school performance in the state, if not the top. So I ran and the voters had a choice. I lost.

However, the campaign was definitely not the one I expected. Seaton withdrew from the campaign and threw his support to Michael Bracy, the candidate of the school central administration group. Michael won.

Several things have happened that require background to understand what happens next.

The Board of Education got the Judge in the desgregation case to order two schools closed. In that consent decree, Unitary Status ending the case was not granted, and comments were made in the consent order that can easily be used to close Aulander and West Bertie elementary schools on the grounds that Bertie County is still "discriminating". So the desegregation case continues, Bertie County is still subject to it, and the Board of Education Lawyers and the Department of Justice Lawyers have free reign to close more schools whenever they want. I think you can anticipate that closing Aulander, and possibly West Bertie also, will be a high priority goal of the school central administration. Those closings will force Bertie County to build a new elementary school . . . . which they want.

Another background element to the current situation is that Bertie County has one of the highest tax rates in the state,and more education spending will almost certainly mean these rates go even higher, damaging our business community even more.

The Bertie County Schools central administration is still committed to school consolidations and still committed to the premise that Bertie County does not spend enough money on education. That we are at the top of expenditures in the State of North Carolina is ignored. However I have heard that Bertie County schools central administration has just asked the County Commissioners to almost double what they are contributing because no matter how much they get, it is never enough. (You heard right, the request is to nearly DOUBLE the Bertie County money!) You can anticipate a campaign shortly to criticize the County Commissioners for "not supporting education". No amount of money will ever be enough.

As noted above, school consolidation is also still on the agenda, and I am certain you will hear at some timely point in the future that we need a new elementary school. The bonds for that will also raise taxes for Bertie County citizens.

Michael Bracy was elected with the support of the Bertie County central school administration. He told me this himself. This group proved during the recent Community Schools SOS campaign that they want more money and want to build new schools. With their victory in the campaign, you have to assume that the voters have endorsed this program. We will not have to wait too long before Michael will have the opportunity to take a stand on these two issues.

Does Michael support additional school consolidation and wasting more money on new buildings?

Does Michael believe that Bertie County tax payers need to give more money to a school system that is clearly failing?

The voters seem to have supported both plans. Stay tuned.