Just as the Greensboro Zoning Commission approves a site on Yanceyville Road for a new elementary school, some Guilford County commissioners are pondering (unposted) a moratorium on new school construction projects to address the county’s massive debt:
Commissioner Billy Yow supports holding off on the projects. The concern isn’t just the debt it takes to build the schools, Yow said, but also the often-forgotten cost of maintaining them.
“If you look at every bond project, it comes with a bill, Yow said. We have to heat these schools, cool them and maintain them. Right now, we’re not even funding these facilities we have at a level for full maintenance. So why right now, in our financial position, are we going to start building new ones?
As you can probably imagine, Commission Chairman Skip Alston disagrees with Yow, saying voters approved half a billion dollars in school bonds because they saw a desperate need for new schools.
The compromise, of course, would be for commissioners to try to reign in the school system’s penchant for building Taj Mahals. Believe it when you see it.
