Town and county need to work together

I felt quite compelled to respond after reading Culpeper County Administrator Frank Bossio's comment regarding funding the school system's budget ("Where will school system get money-" Sept. 10)

I have been frustrated for years by the way the Board of Supervisors "controls" the School Board by their purse strings.  The needs of our school system are real. 

It is time the Board of Supervisors and the Town Council wake up and take ownership of the situation facing our schools. It is not a "they" situation, it is a "we" situation - How are we going to fund the needs of our children's education-

Our schools are terribly overcrowded. Even when we open Yowell Elementary School in 2008, that school will be at capacity and Emerald Hill will still be overcapacity. Believe me, we on the Redistricting Committee labored for seven months on how to rezone to unload all of our schools.  Bottom line, we are still short of space.

That said, the school board and administration do a fine job of making do. But, enough is enough. We can no longer function without the support of the Board of Supervisors and the Town Council! 

The School Board was not responsible for allowing all the growth in the town and county. 

Nay, it was the Town Council and Board of Supervisors who allowed hundreds and hundreds of homes to be built without collecting proffers from the now-rich developers for necessary infrastructure improvements. 

Thereby, these two governing bodies allowed our schools, law enforcement, fire/rescue, roads and other programs to become overly taxed without a plan for funding improvements or keeping up with increased demand as these homes started filling with families. 

Now, it is time to pay the piper.

Now is the time the Board of Supervisors and the Town Council must work together with the School Board (without the bickering and posturing as in the past) for the common good of all Culpeper families.  The onus is on these two government entities to find solutions to meet the monetary requirements of the School Board in order to open two new schools, on schedule (fall 2008), with complete programming/curriculum, fully staffed and fully furnished.

Only through the cooperative efforts of all the boards and committees of the county and the town can we provide a safe and valuable education for our children - the future of Culpeper! 

Remember, "It takes a villege to raise a child."

Carol Wallach resides in Reva and has been a parent volunteer in CCPS since 2001. She served on last year's Redistricting Task Force.  She serves on the CCHS/EVHS Transition Team and the Transportation Task Force.