Last night, Orange County held a forum about the November referendum that would impose a new schools tax on property owners in the Orange County school district. If passed, the county would impose up to an additional 10 cents per $100 in value. At the core of this story is jealousy of an existing special schools tax instituted by Chapel Hill/Carrboro residents on themselves. Supporters of the Orange County referendum think more money automatically equates to higher student achievement. If that were true, kids in Washington D.C. and New York state would be academic all-stars. Those districts are, of course, some of the most troubled even though they are the highest spenders.