Maybe It is Over | Eastern North Carolina Now

Is This the End for the Beaufort County Board of Education's Misadventure?

    I am out of town so I will keep this brief until I have an opportunity to expound on this issue at a later date. It does appear that the North Carolina Supreme Court will not revisit the Beaufort County Government's successful appeal with the high court, which remanded the case back to the Beaufort County Superior Court.

    There are a myriad of other options available to the local school board short of getting the State's Supreme Court to reverse their opinion; however, none of them are good. All endeavors to seek a more favorable ruling in the Beaufort County Board of Education's failed attempt to sue the Beaufort County Taxpayers would continue to cost the taxpayers more money in the boards continued efforts to sue them. It has always been a no win situation for the Beaufort County Taxpayers. Remarkably, the local Board of Education may realize that it is a no win situation for them as well.

    Incredibly, members of the school board felt compelled to represent their board of education as one that should help the North Carolina Association of School Boards to determine the legal terminology of the essential word "needed" as it relates to how much county boards of commissioners must give school boards, in a yearly allowance, over and above the state mandated responsibilities by the commissioners as prescribed by general statute. Someone should remind these errant members of the local Board of Education that their job is to represent the better educated child in the County of Beaufort, not those as determined by the North Carolina Association of School Boards.

    Maybe it will take another election cycle of school board members losing their seats, en masse, before the remaining members get the message that their job is to educate the children of Beaufort County, not elsewhere. Remarkably, the election of almost two cycles ago, when every school board member running for reelection lost their seat, taught many of the remaining school board members, and the ones elected, very little. Possibly, this should be a good upcoming election for each member of the Beaufort County Board of Education seeking reelection to have an opponent. In my 4 elections that I have encountered, I have always had an opponent in a county wide election - general election and primaries. It does tend to keep one sharp. Understandably, it may be a worthy endeavor for these school board members to sharpen the understanding of their jobs. Lord knows, they need it.

    What we, the collective public, need is a responsive group of school board members managing the tremendous budget that they are entrusted with each year: largely from the state government, secondarily from the county, and to a much lesser extent, the federal government. Recently the Washington Daily News' editorial page called for the Beaufort County Board of Education to desist from this lawsuit, and I do thank them for their advice to the wrong headed school board, but once that publication takes a position, the damage is usually already done.

    Regardless, begrudging thanks are in order. The school board is predominately a very liberal and therefore, very narrow minded board, and generally only listen to the occasional wise words of other liberals, and their publications. But at the risk of redundancy, specifically in matters of the wise allocation of public funds, best management practices and the eroding foundation of principled behavior, liberals are always late to the game. Fortunately, as that fight has already begun, some of us have already taken up the good fight, and we are well prepared for the battle at hand. I just pray that as more Beaufort County citizens, and Americans at large, finally start getting fed up with the status quo, our numbers will grow.

    Battle lines are now being drawn all over this land. Pick a side and make ready for the fight.