$88 million, for what?

The Chesterfield School Board will ask the voters to approve a bond issue, which will be paid for with a continuation of the 1% sales tax in the county.  Here is the list of items they need this money for:

Safety and Security upgrades for facilities throughout the school district

1. Installation of additional fencing
2. Installation of keyless entry for exterior doors 

Upgrades to athletic facilities 

1. Renovation of the existing gym at Cheraw High School
2. Installation of new track and football fields at all district high schools
3. Expansion of weight rooms at all school district high schools

Expansion projects

1. Construction and equipping classroom additions at McBee High School, McBee Elementary, Pageland Elementary, Central High School, and New Heights Middle School, including site work and improved access
2. Expansion of kitchen and cafeteria space at Petersburg Primary School.
3. Addition of a new gym/multipurpose space at Planview Elementary School.
4. Addition of a new gym/multipurpose space at Cheraw Intermediate School.
5. Construction of a new CATE (Career and Technical Education) classroom building at Chesterfield High School.

Site improvements

1. New digital marquees throughout the school district
2. Installation of a covered walkway at Petersburg Primary School
3. Installation of playground equipment covering all playgrounds in the school district
4. Renovations, repairs, and improvements as needed at all schools and other facilities in the school district.

Now for some facts!

Only three of the 16 Chesterfield County School System schools have seen an increase in enrollment over the past ten years. These facts are presented in the “Chesterfield County Joint Comprehensive Plan Draft,” which you can find on the county website: https://www.chesterfieldcountysc.com/.  I will only give you the percentage increase/decrease in this table.  Please refer to the original draft on the website for additional data.

So, let’s examine the school and projects they want us to pay $88 million.

1. Renovate a gym at a high school that has lost 15% enrollment.
2. Install new tracks and football fields at two high schools that have lost 2% and 15% of their enrollment.
3. Expand weight rooms at the same high schools.
4. Add classrooms to three schools that have lost enrollment
5. Expand a kitchen and cafeteria at a primary school whose enrollment is down by 5%.
6. Add a new gym/multipurpose room to a school that’s enrollment is down 10%.
7. Add a new gym/multipurpose room to a school whose enrollment is down 24%!
8. Construct a new CATE (Career and Technical Education) classroom building at a school whose enrollment is down 2%.
9. Install a covered walkway at a school whose enrollment is down 5%.

This doesn’t include putting up digital marquees and other nonsense in a school system whose enrollment has decreased by 7% (513 children) in the past ten years!

The Real Ugly Truth About the Chesterfield County School System

The whole bond question does not address the real issue—the valid reason for even having a School System—the students. How are the students benefiting from the Chesterfield County School System? Well, folks, they aren’t!

Only three out of ten students who graduate from our county schools are proficient in either math or English.  Put another way, seven out of ten are unprepared for the world outside the classroom.  But the people responsible for these abysmal results dare ask you to approve $88 million in new spending while they continue to produce failure!  If this were a corporation, they would all be out on their collective butts in a New York minute.  But no, they expect to see their salaries increase, their benefits increase, and their ability to spend your money on their pipe dream.

People, the time is now to put an end to this madness.  Until they start doing their jobs and teaching our children the skills they will need to compete in the world, we should ask for their resignations, not approve their projects.  The only answer to this bond issue is a resounding NO.