Ok....I get it now. Lets go out and build 12 new schools next year. Problem solved.

Wow, I guess i never know you could spend your way out of a financial crisis.

I agree with Link. I've been working as a business person for some time, and all of what he said makes sense to me. I'm all for schools (my wife is a teacher), and building new schools will require labor to build, and teachers and staff when ready for children. New projects in this economy are a very good thing to keep things going. What would you rather have the money go toward, George? Cutting costs is only half of the effort in these times, the other half is funding projects that are worthy. I believe that good schools are worthy projects.

George, as usual your assumptions are wrong, leading you once again to wrong conclusions. Do you think the only people who support the schools are those "in the system?" Williamsburg is filled with parents who want a great education for their kids and see opinions like yours as threats to that.

If WJCC is cutting ineffective teachers who are on improvement plans, then great! If they are moving quickly on new office space at Blair while the retro-fitting work can be done at bargain prices, great again! You still fail to see that this comes from budget areas that are not connected to and do not affect instruction, as has been explained to you over and over and over.

Also, you still fail to acknowledge that public/gov't finance works fundamentally different than business, but you still cling to a business model for your critique. You are incorrect when you do this, once again leading to your incorrect conclusions.

And you still fail to see that the budget issues affecting teachers and students originate at the state level, due to new anti-public-edu cation Republican policies that are being forced through due to last fall's elections.

George, I don't know why you keep clinging to your wrong information and interpretations . It appears you just want to think you're right rather than face the truth of the matter.

George, your arguments are still based on a completely wrong premise. My statement is absolutely accurate and is no oxymoron. Government and business operate from totally different finance models because of the fundamental differences between the two sectors. And they should be different because they have fundamentally different purposes in society. To say government should be financed more like business is like saying apples should be grown more like oranges, or a Mercedes should be fixed using a repair manual for a Ford. It is a nonsense statement, George. No matter how much you may want to believe it since it seems a simple solution to a complex issue, the truth is your notion is just flat wrong.

Furthermore, savvy businesses virtually never pay for major capital improvements when they have the entire sum on hand. They finance these things, and they endeavor to do so when rates and conditions are most favorable for them, in order to save money. Smart, well-timed financing is how organizations typically move forward. Now is an unparalleled time for WJCC to build these buildings at the lowest price possible for the community, and with the greatest contributions from state and federal sources. To pass on the chance would be an irresponsible waste of the town's money, because they'll only need more local money in the future as construction costs go up and as state and federal funds are cut (which is exactly what we're seeing this year already).

I repeat - building the new schools is not causing the budget issue. You have the wrong target in your sights. Every single school division in Virginia is having a terrible budget problem, not just WJCC. This is because the source of the problem is one that is common to all the divisions - the state is making ghastly cuts to kids' education under the new Republican administration, and by the Republican-led House. That is the source of this crisis.

Regarding the issue of the principal - I'm unsure what it is you're trying to say because you're being so cryptic. Follow the lead? Who are you now, Deep Throat?

George: I know you mean well, but I fear you are don't have a full understanding about how government finance works, in comparison to the business sector. Because of this, your conclusions are incorrect and your frustration is aimed at the wrong people. As stated earlier, the financing for the new buildings was set aside prior to the economic downturn, and the the downturn has, in fact, made building them much cheaper. This is a good thing for Williamsburg, and does not factor into the current budget situation much at all, especially the instruction budget from which teachers salaries are derived.

You are right to be disturbed about the impending school budget cuts. They will be horrific, beyond anyone's imagination. But they were not caused by the WJCC School Board or leadership. The School Board has no power to levy taxes for the schools - they must go hat-in-hand to the city and town supervisors and to the state. It is the leaders at these levels who have made the ghastly cuts, particularly at the state level, where the newly elected Republican administration is slashing and burning education funding in a whole host of ways. It is at this level that you should direct your justified frustration. A good place to begin would be with JCC-York delegate Brenda Pogge, our local state delegate who is voting in favor of these devastating cuts in step with her Republican colleagues.

Regarding the principals: Their work is essential to the safe, orderly opening of the new buildings. Usually a new school is opened by a team of people, working together months in advance. To save money, our WJCC principals are doing it virtually single-handed. Preparing to open a new school is a massive undertaking. It strikes me that you may not understand the process. Nobody is sitting around as you incorrectly assert.

And one last tip: If you are working with realtors who are not forthright with you about the nature of the market, then you need to get a new realtor.