Wake County deserves OUR attention

Better wake up and pay attention to what's going on over in Wake County....because this could be coming to Guilford County.

The Wake County Board of County Commissioners has asked the Wake County Public Schools to implement a budget cut (worth about $5.7 million) to make up for a local county budget shortfall. This is in addition to the money Wake County Schools has to send back to the state in the form of budget cuts.

And it is causing a crap storm in Capital City.

News & Observer's WakeEd Blog:

This afternoon, county commissioners could vote on whether to implement an across-the-board funding cut of 1.8 percent to make up for a $17 million projected revenue shortfall. If the school system and Wake Tech are exempted from this cut, county departments would have to take a deeper 4 percent cut.

Supporters and opponents of sparing the school system from the 1.8 percent cut, equal to $5.7 million, plan to come out today to have their say before the vote.

Stan Norwalk, who will be sworn in today as county commissioner, acknowledges he sent this e-mail message urging people to speak at today's public comment session about why the school system shouldn't be cut.

Norwalk argues that "other NC counties are trying harder than Wake" to provide funding for schools. He says the county's "ample rainy day funds" can cover the cut.

Norwalk said Saturday that he'll ask today for the vote on the cuts to be delayed until after commissioners meet with the school board to discuss the issue. He said he wants to hear more from the school system about the impact of losing the $5.7 million.

Norwalk is being countered by critics who are urging people to wear red to today's meeting to back cutting the school system just like the rest of the county.

"It is irresponsible to ask other county departments and county employees to suffer further cuts beyond those requested by Manager Cooke due to the poor planning and poor financial stewardship of the Wake County Public School System," writes Joey Stansbury on the Wake Community Network. "Should law enforcement, parks or emergency management suffer?"

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Wake's issues are eerily similar to Guilford's. But with the swearing in of Skip Alston this morning as chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, could our CoCo's pull the same stunt?

N&R:

Democrat Melvin "Skip" Alston will lead the Guilford County Board of Commissioners for the second time as chairman, winning the spot by a 7-4 vote Monday morning.

Alston said he wants the board to focus on the making county government run more efficiently.

"My motto this year ... is to do more with less," he said.

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E.C. :)