Oh, boo frickity hoo!

I know someone who loves to quote Dr. Evil from Austin Powers movies. Quite honestly, that is how I feel about the Johnston County school budget. In today's News and Observer there is a story about the school budget being $1 million less than the initial request. Now the school system is threatening to go to court to force the extra million dollars.

Sorry, but that is how budgets work. You request, but you are given a certain amount to work with. Too bad, deal with it. I do not for a minute believe that the school system can not do without that one million dollars for this one year. I guarantee that they can find that million in just wasteful spending, excess staff at the administration level, and extras they don't really need. So you put thermostats a few degrees higher or lower to save on electricity. So you don't replace a school bus or two this year. Hey, I have an idea...one tenth of that million can come from the WAY OVERPAID superintendant's salary. When Johnston County pays the Superintendant of Schools more than the Governor of the entire State of North Carolina makes, something is wrong. He makes almost $200,000 a year.

Knowing that last fact alone should really bother you tax payers. If they can pay one man that much and that one man can not find how to trim 1/150th of a budget, then you are obviously paying far too much for that position. So, to quote Dr. Evil and then someone I know, "Oh, boo frickity hoo!"

Here is a part of the N&O article:

Local schools and nonprofits will feel the pinch under the lean budget and no tax hike adopted by Johnston County commissioners Monday.

The school district will get about $1 million less than it requested in the county's $150 million spending plan -- a gap that School Board Chairman Fred Bartholomew said could lead the county and schools to a face-off in court.

Bartholomew said the district will rework its spending plan and review the final state budget, which hasn't passed yet, before deciding whether to seek arbitration with the county. He said the school district has less than $1 million in reserves and will have to cut essential programs to compensate for the shortfall.