HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93008_1706 (2)12,Y)
WHEREAS, after much prayerful and careful consideration, we find that the Plan as presented is
j prepared and presented in the best interests of all the citizens of Iredell County although not
perfectly satisfactory to all, and find that the school boards of Iredell County and Statesville
have adequately responded to our charge to bring forth an acceptable Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Iredell County Board of Commissioners;
(1) The City of Statesville and Iredell County School Administrative Units shall be merged in
the manner contemplated in the Plan heretofore presented to us.
(2) We declare our present intention that we shall, as our circumstances allow, levy and
disburse to the Administrative Board of the merged school units sufficient funds to erect the needed
facilities and to increase the current expense on a per pupil basis towards the statewide average;
(3) We declare to our successors in office our own moral commitment that the schools be
adequately funded;
(4) We declare to the public our commitment that our schools be held accountable for their
performance and bind ourselves to developing an accountability system;
(5) We direct that the Clerk to this Board forward the Plan to the North Carolina State Board
of Education and encourage its immediate adoption;
(6) We urge the Board of the Mooresville Graded School District to consider consolidating into
the merged district and encourage continued dialogue to the end that this county be unified in all
respects and that duplicate and overlapping programs be minimized;
(7) We encourage Mitchell Community College and the School Administrative Units to develop a
partnership for the efficient delivery of educational services in Iredell County, particularly in
the areas of vocational and technical training.
SLOAN: Do we have a motion relative to this resolution?
HEDRICK: Mr. Chairman, would questions about this be in order at this time or more appropriate
after a motion is considered, if one, in fact, is made.
SLOAN: I have no problem going ahead with the questions now.
HEDRICK: The only clarification, Mr. Pope, on our second page where we are referring to G.S.
115C-512, if, in fact, the board were to adopt this resolution, my concern is that with respect to
(b) discourse, where it says, "renovate, remodel, construct, and improve the educational facilities
in a manner sufficient to allow the middle school concept." Have we prefaced that in our WHEREASES
that we would do that as to the extent of our ability to fund, or is that an unqualified statement
that we will, irrespective of whether or not we feel like we are able to?
POPE: Mr. Hedrick, what I have attempted to do by the resolution is to explain what I believe
the law is. I believe that it is the law of this state that you cannot contract away your authority
to levy taxes. And I believe it is that law that you cannot bind your successors, so I may not have
succeeded; it may be too wordy and too ambiguous. But what I have attempted to convey is simply
what the law is, and that is the plan calls for you to appropriate certain funds. What you are
saying by the resolution is that to the extent we can, all things being equal, we intend to do that.
But we do not, and we want you to know do not, have the legal ability to tell you that regardless of
the circumstances we will do that. And I would say further that even if that were not the law,
which I believe it is. And I have had it confirmed to me by the Institute of Government. I believe
that would be wise. I think my understanding, and the plan attempts to make this point, that the
educational portions of the plan are the business of the school board, and the financial portions of
the plan are your business. And the law, as it pertains to the finances, is, I hope, woven into the
resolution. Did I answer your question?
HEDRICK: Yes, sir.
We at least have etched into the minutes that our intent is to do as good as we can. "We"
being any board of commissioners subsequent to us, to the extent of the ability of the county, and I
think the minutes will accurately reflect that.
SLOAN: Other questions? Clarifications?
BRYAN: I have a question, Mr. Chairman, of Mr. Pope or the rest of the members of the board,
however it might best be answered. I have viewed the problem that we are having in the county as, I
won't say a misunderstanding of what we are doing, but certainly some of that might be involved.
The plan, as we speak of it, to me is not engraved or chiseled into granite. The demographics and
political realities in this county change at such a rapid pace that obviously no plan can be set
forth for an eight-year period with any success of ending up being the same at the end of eight
years as it is contemplated at the first year. So I see the plan as a living, breathing plan that
would be subject to change to reflect those political realities and demographics that will occur in
this county.
I also don't think, and of course I'm not trying to read anything into it, I really don't even
think it would be healthy to come up with a plan that we say, "This is it, and that is exactly how
it is going to be" for the period of eight years, come whatever might happen. So I sort of view
this, I don't sort of view it, I view it as a framework that we are starting out with. I have been