There are a bunch of changes to the Comprehensive Plan and the
Land Development Regulations (LDR) that people ought to pay attention to,
scheduled for tonight’s Valdosta City Council (VCC) meeting.
But the one many people are going to see is this one:
6.a) Consideration of a Position Statement on School Consolidation.
Unlike
consolidation proponents,
the Lowndes County Board of Education did its homework,
showed it to us all, and could answer questions,
all demonstrating that school consolidation would not improve education,
would increase expenses and taxes, and far from bringing in more industry
would probably drive some away by reducing the quality of education.
Tuesday evening, going beyond
the research it had already published,
Dr. Troy Davis took CUEE’s own figures for how much more consolidation would
require to be spent per each Valdosta City school student,
and demonstrated that not only would that
require raising taxes for both
Valdosta and Lowndes County residents to near the state-capped maximum
of 21 mils, but even then there is no way enough tax revenue would be
generated to pay for all the things CUEE proposes to do after consolidation,
and probably not even enough taxes to continue employing all the teachers
currently employed by the two school systems.
Oh, plus consolidation would lose state and federal grant money by
increasing the composite school system size, so the local taxpayers
would have to make up that slack, too.
Jerome Tucker, on fire as a cheerleader, spelled out his life-long
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Perception (from the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the process of
attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing
and interpreting sensory information
– Wikipedia
I have sat on the sideline for a while on the issue of
consolidation. Perhaps I am still on the sideline since I am not going
to tell you how to vote. Regardless of the decision on November 8th I
will continue to support education in one or two systems. In any event
I feel compelled to at least provide some words for consideration.
Here is my perspective from the sideline.
It is very apparent that we have pride in our schools. Pride is both
Things really have not changed have they? There are still people out
there who believe they can force their will on the people regardless
of the circumstances. I still cannot believe that we are here.
Consolidation, Unification, where did this come from? What mind first
came up with this idea and what is the real motive behind it?
Eight months ago when I heard that Rusty Griffin and his merry band
of followers were once again trying to force unification down peoples
throats, I never thought it would catch on and would just fizzle away.
Oh, how wrong.
Over the months this consolidation issue that I thought would never gain
steam is now on the ballot and could possible pass this Nov. 8th.
I have seen this thing divide friends, families, co-workers and even
State Sen. Bill Montford, right, congratulates Gadsden County Chamber of
Commerce Executive Director David Gardner on the National Solar Power’s
massive solar farm project.
With the excitement of a massive solar-energy farm coming to the community
still fresh on their minds, Gadsden County businesses are looking ahead
to the potential such a project could have on the local economy.
Monday’s announcement by National Solar Power was a discussion topic
Wednesday at the “Go Gadsden” breakfast of the Gadsden County Chamber of
Commerce. The invited speaker, state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee,
told the gathering the project’s impact will extend well beyond the
county.
“This is good for Gadsden County, but it’s good for all of North Florida,”
Montford said during the breakfast at the Florida Public Safety Institute
in Midway. “We believe it’s just the beginning.”
Last month, we said this month we would get organized.
Like what we’re doing? Come help.
Monthly LAKE Meeting
When: 5:30 – 6:30 PM, Tuesday 4 October 2011
Where:
Bojangles
1725 West Hill Avenue
(Highway 84)
Valdosta, GA 31601-5147
229-242-4202
If you follow the LAKE blog,
On the LAKE Front,
which you can also see through the
LAKE facebook page,
you know what we cover, from protesters to private prisons to gardening
to schools,
all of which turn out to be related.
What else do you want to investigate?
You can be LAKE, too!
Lowndes County Schools will be hosting a forum entitled Why We
Oppose Consolidation on October 4, 2011 at 7:00pm in the Lowndes High
Cafeteria. All community members invited to attend.
Some people have been confused by LCBOE’s image version of this meeting announcement:
The meeting starts at 7PM on the fourth of October, which is Tuesday.
If we are to believe Fox News and the Tea Party, solar doesn’t work
because the solar panel manufacturer Solyndra went belly up, despite the
fact that it received $535 million in subsidies. While wasting an enormous
amount of tax dollars on a company with a flawed business concept should
raise everyone’s eyebrows, the conclusion that the Solyndra mess means
“solar doesn’t work” is mind-boggling. It’s like saying “cars don’t
work” because Chrysler went bankrupt in 2009, or “T-shirts don’t work”
because Fruit of the Loom filed for Chapter 11 in 1999.
Solar is one of the most attractive renewable sources of energy throughout
Nolen Cox seems to think CHIP grant recipients don’t work.
Chairman Paulk declined to let Mrs. Cox speak because he said in a letter
to the Commission she called them idiots.
When he let Nolen Cox speak, Cox said:
I think it’s interesting that the comments
about the CHIP grant comes after the vote.
Y’all must be an all-wise group.
Chairman Paulk referred to that as sarcastic.
Cox disagreed.
Paulk said it was in his opinion and he decided such things there.
Cox asserted that:
to get a $300,000 grant it takes about $420,000
of tax money accumulated from citizens.
He didn’t cite any source for those figures.
He did claim the Commission was luring people into homebuying
while home prices are going down.
Somebody had to work for the money that they didn’t get
to give to somebody who didn’t work.
Sounds like he was saying CHIP grant recipients don’t work.
I wonder how they pay their mortgages then, since CHIP grants
as near as I can tell only help with down payments?
I thanked the Commission for doing the right thing about the
CHIP grant.
And for at least three people sitting up front (Evans, Paulk, and Pritchard)
lowering their monitors so citizens (and even
cameras) could see their faces.
Then I relayed the news about the
$1.5 billion investment in Gadsden County, Florida
for a 400 MW solar project.
Plus ongoing jobs, expanded education, private sources of investment,
and customers for the electricity.
Unlike the failed local biomass project,
National Solar Power’s Gadsden County project already has
Progress Energy signed up as a customer for its electricity.
I recommended that the Commission go on record as being in favor of such
projects locally.
Thanks for CHIP and lower monitors; also solar –John S. Quarterman @ LCC 27 Sep 2011
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 September 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Land Development Regulations (LDR) that people ought to pay attention to,
scheduled for tonight’s Valdosta City Council (VCC) meeting.
But the one many people are going to see is this one:
