Lexington/Richland School District Five (editor’s note: one of the top two districts in our state) starts the new school year tomorrow so get ready for congestion on I26 heading downtown. (No more eating my Chicfila biscuit while driving. Did I just admit to that?).
With a new school year comes lots of questions and one on a few folks minds is “Will the buses run?”
You may have read the papers about a recent 3% across-the-board cut approved by the Budget and Control Board. Obviously, that has an impact. Obviously, an “across-the-board cut” is more “fair” and let’s be honest, politically safer/easier vote than the alternative. Is it the best thing to do though?
Education got cut and now the districts are in a bind (again). Now, to be fair, “Education” fared very well in the State Budget so their 3% cut is not like a 3% to an agency/department that was already cut 5% from our budget last session. Nonetheless, tranpsortation (previously short due to rising gas prices) is now gonna be a little tougher.
My question in all this is: When the income in your house drops, do you do “across-the-board cuts” or do you prioritize? Do you say “Ok, we’ll cut going to our going-to-the-movies budget 3% and also cut our dinner-vegetables budget by 3%”?
No. You decide what areas get cut based on a variety of things, right? While not a fan of vegetables, I even know that those are more important than Stepbrothers .
As elected officials, we have the ability to address the state’s shortfall when we return in January but I have a feeling we won’t. Why? Well, could be a variety of reasons but “taking an easy way out” shouldn’t be one of them.
This weekend we Republicans will head to Charleston for a Caucus Meeting. I imagine this shortfall will come up…as well as a few other things too.
Some new members-elect will be there too and I for one will be glad to see them. Get on the bus guys (and gals), but don’t get bullied this year. There’s strength in numbers.