Mecklenburg ACTS Advocacy

July, 2006

After the Mecklenburg County Commissioners turned down a funding plan for school construction and renovation, Mecklenburg ACTS steering committee members decided to stress the importance of acting quickly on both construction and renovation, as described in the Community Commitment to Schools.

We composed and sent a letter to the members of the County Commission, the School Board and the Martin Committee, as well as to administrative staff. We sent a second letter after County Manager Harry Jones asked us to clarify whether we preferred COPS or bonds as a funding mechanism. Here are the two letters and the responses we received.

Letter 1:

Dear [ ],

As a grassroots organization, Mecklenburg ACTS has publicly stated that "we believe that new construction and renovations of current facilities are BOTH needed. Our facility issues can and must be a unifier." The county commission's inaction and divisive rhetoric are unacceptable.

The good news is that the Martin Committee agreed overwhelmingly on three things:  (1) The need for new schools is real.  (2)  The need for renovations is real.  (3) Both needs must be addressed now.  

For any future compromise to succeed, it must include a clear commitment to significantly address the full range of growth and renovation needs.  We believe that the majority of county leaders and residents support both building and renovation. What divides this group is approach: some fear another bond failure, while others are uneasy about using non-voted debt to fund previously defeated projects.

Just suppose that all those who voice support for both goals stood as one?   And suppose they united behind a bond issue * this year * which would present voters with the COPS proposal hammered out by the Martin Committee?   Perhaps this time of great division will present an even greater opportunity for * all * of us to unify around the needs the Martin Committee so clearly defined.

Patsy Burkins

John Minter

Terry Taylor-Allen

Louise Woods

Carol Sawyer

Pamela Grundy

The writers serve on the steering committee of Mecklenburg Area Coming Together for Schools (Mecklenburg ACTS). For more about Mecklenburg ACTS, see www.mecklenburgacts.org

Letter 2:

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you for your reply to our letter, and for your interest in our perspective.

The bottom line for us is that we believe new construction AND renovations are needed—regardless of the vehicle used to achieve that goal. While our first preference would be to issue bonds, since they involve community input and support, we are not opposed to a COPS proposal that involves a clear commitment to significantly address the full range of construction and renovation needs.

As so many people have noted this week, the focus needs to be on meeting the needs of all our children.

We received the following responses:

Peter Gorman: Thanks for sharing this. 

Molly Griffin: Thanks for your thoughtful input.  The needs are certainly real, and I am hopeful that a compromise can be worked out quickly.

Larry Gauvreau: Thanks for your note.  I’m always thrilled to hear from the status quo.  Will you be holding a candle light vigil for the Martin Committee’s “unifying” recommendations?  If so, I’ll ask that it be covered on CMS TV3/website. 

Kaye McGarry: Thank you for your input.

Jennifer Roberts: Thanks for your advocacy. We are working hard to get through

this impasse. There is no time to waste.