North Carolina needs to stop defining support for schools through property tax assessment and needs to supply enough monies to school districts to education children. If local governments assign a portion of property taxes to the support of schools, that is their only way of obtaining income unless they have a city sales tax. But, for the state to seek to support school districts according to property values and/or population density or both is a completely wrong approach.
If the USA military continues to allow victimization of military families this way, it needs a course correction. Why should military families suffer with insufficient education systems? The USA military needs to move their bases out of North Carolina to cities in the country that want their presence and will educate their children. There needs to be a requirement made by the USA Defense Department as to the quality of education the children receive no matter where their base is located, otherwise, relocate the bases.
In the case of North Carolina half the state's economy would disappear if the USA military pulled out to insure the quality of children's educations. It is time the military cared about their families and their quality of life as much as the nation believes they do.
I do believe this is an issue for the First and Second Ladies of the country. It needs to be resolved and NOT through federal monies either. The cities where military families live receive economic benefit that has to translate into a quality education.
Published: 09:16 PM, Wed Mar 06, 2013
School districts across the state are being hurt by a funding formula that doesn't accurately reflect the state of their fiscal health. Military communities are being hurt worse than others. Cumberland County is looking at a $1.8 million hole in its school budget for the 2013-2014 school year. And ultimately, none of this can be reconciled with our state constitution's guarantee of a sound, basic education for all....
