First it was the "stimulus truck." Now, it's "Obama bucks." That's how Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Larry Gauvreau derisively tags the federal stimulus dollars that CMS is getting.
In February, Gauvreau derided school officials for saying staff cuts and program reductions would be needed because of the economic collapse, though he noted that CMS was already bloated and should have been cutting the fat anyway. But he said the lamenting was all a smokescreen because a federal "stimulus truck" was going to drive up with a load of cash for CMS.
On Tuesday, school officials did announce they'd gotten about $28 million in stimulus money, targetted for high-poverty schools, special education and pre-school. Gauvreau dubbed them "Obama bucks," as he blasted the proposed school budget for next year as, you guessed it, bloated and fat.
Though most of the other school board members disagreed about the budget, many smiled at the "Obama bucks" tag - which made Gauvreau keep repeating it.
Prehaps, the Editorial Board should look at whathappened in California Monday night. That Governor released his "Obama Bucks" know officially as "State Fiscal Stabilization Funds" and a school system in the Los Angeles area was able recinded the April 23rd layoffs of 645 certified employees. The likelihood of the same thing happening here is high.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the school system needs a contingency plan because after all, this is North Carolina and politics could easily trump the most obvious need.
Bolyn McClung
Pineville
However,