The race is on between the school system and county government for the title of Least Creative Public Servants. Or, in bureaucratese, the language more often spoken in the halls of public power, the Least Able to Eventuate Creative Solutions To Seemingly Intractable Problems in the Public Sector.
County Manager Harry Jones said yesterday that he will propose $34 million in cuts to CMS next year. In keeping with the city's current can't-do attitude, CMS will begin sending out layoff notices to around 400 teachers and 900 other CMS employees after having already gotten rid of a slew of school media resource workers. As a cranky uncle used to say, "Well isn't that great?" I humbly refer Messrs. Jones and Gorman, and the entire County Commission and School Board, to a proposal for meeting the school system's needs.
In this column: we proposed that the county and the schools sit down with Bank of America and/or other local corporate honchos and ask them to pony up the needed money for the good of the community. Yes, BofA is having a rough time, but frankly, when Ken Lewis publicly announces that he won't have a problem coming up with the $34 billion dollars the government stress tests say the bank needs, it makes ya think. BofA owes the community something extra for having caused so much upheaval with its repeated layoffs. Charlotte's big companies and civic leaders know that a floundering school system is the last thing a city wants to have when the wolf is at the door. Ken Lewis, imagine how much goodwill you would buy with the move, and at a price that, to you, is mere pocket change. And imagine how much good you would be doing for this community, which has been so good to you and your corporation.
What such a move would take, though, is someone in local government, even Gorman himself if members of the School Board or County Commission can't bring themselves to do it, with the gumption to approach local corporations about the matter.