A hijacking

How discouraging it was to watch the Wake County Board of Commissioners trying to hijack facilities acquisition and control from the Wake County school board. So much for fostering a better relationship and working together!

This change will decrease, not increase efficiencies. The school system must be allowed to address such issues as overcrowding in schools because this greatly affects student learning and success.

The size and scope of school buildings need to be considered by the school system. Removing the school system from the discussion regarding size and scope of new schools is a mistake. Not all school buildings are the same, and the facility needs of elementary-age children are very different from those of high school-age children. Programming is also greatly related to facilities. The school system, not the commissioners, needs to determine and oversee facilities based on programming.

These two boards must work for all taxpayers as partners, not adversaries. Their recent changes in leadership and subsequent joint meeting led the community to believe they were capable of working together. That didn’t last long. The actions of the commissioners smashed that harmony with a gavel.

Lynn Edmonds

Raleigh