As explained in a blog post from this weekend, my letter to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), if you live in Mecklenburg County, then you have a vested interest in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This is true whether or not you have a connection to CMS (through employment, a child who is a student, etc), because the health of our schools will be a significant determining factor in the health of our city.
Good schools help to make a city vibrant and increase its economic viability more than any other public service (or, arguably, anything, since the private sector is dependent on a good pool of potential employees, and good schools attract and help to retain families, especially those with young children).
The better off Charlotte is, the better off you will be, personally. The more businesses and individuals come here (or stay here), the more employment opportunities there will be, the lower unemployment, crime, etc. Likewise, the converse is true, and bad schools will ultimately cause downward economic pressure and urban decay.
On June 15, the BOCC will be voting on the final budget, so they need to hear from you as soon as possible, while they are still putting the budget together.
Please contact your representatives on the BOCC and encourage them to put education funding first in their list of priorities. It can be as simple as a note saying, “My name is [your name]. As a resident of Mecklenburg County, I am asking you to put CMS funding ahead of everything else in the budget, even if it means heavy cuts elsewhere,” or something along those lines. It will only take you a couple of minutes, and the more people do it, the more likely they are to listen.
Again, let me stress that you do not need to have child in CMS to impacted by good (or bad) schools. Even if your tax dollars are being spent on the education of other people's children while you pay extra to send your to private school, a strong CMS will help you too; in addition to the economic benefits, improved public schools lead to improved private schools due to increased competition.
The BOCC does not want to frustrate its constituents; it wants to do what is in their best interest. Please help to convince them that better education is in the best interest of all Charlotteans.
Here’s how:
1) Go to http://maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/geoportal/ and put in your address.
2) A list of your county commissioners will show up on the left side. E-mail your representatives. Here’s a list of their e-mail addresses:
karen.bentley@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov;
harold@consultmyattorney.com;
dumontclarke@mvalaw.com;
neil.cooksey@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov;
george.dunlap@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov;
Wjames@carolina.rr.com;
vilma.leake@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov;
daniel.murrey@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov;
jennifer.roberts@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov
3) If you’d rather e-mail the entire BOCC, you can paste all of the addresses above or send a message to the address countycommissioners@mecklenburgcountync.gov.
4) Share the URL of this blog post with everyone that you know so that they can do it too: http://thejoyofreason.blogspot.com/2010/06/shaping-mecklenburg-county-budget-your.html
If your friends think that education isn't important, please direct them to my previous entry: http://thejoyofreason.blogspot.com/2010/05/schools-choice-for-charlotte-open.html . It's not perfect, and it may not convince them, but hopefully it encourages people to think about education from the perspective of rational self-interest (the best motivator).
Here’s the URL for the BOCC, if you're interested in reading more about what they do: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/BOCC/Home.htm
Many Thanks
GG
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