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County boards fuming

Spotsylvania County supervisors respond angrily to the School Board's threat of legal action against them

Date published: 7/30/2005

By GEORGE WHITEHURST

Members of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors are seeing red over the School Board's demand for more green.

Supervisors interviewed yesterday expressed shock and anger over the School Board's threat of a lawsuit to block a $41 million school-bond referendum slated for Nov. 8.

"It's funny that the School Board wants to spend taxpayer dollars to sue us for trying to save taxpayer dollars," Supervisor Hap Connors said.

The School Board had asked the supervisors for a ballot initiative authorizing the county to borrow up to $184 million for school construction, school bus replacements and technology upgrades.

But the supervisors balked at that figure, citing a recent independent efficiency audit that suggested the school system could save as much as $31 million in its next round of school construction.

The report, produced by Texas-based Gibson Consulting Group, concluded that Spotsylvania's last six schools cost 23 percent more than the state construction average on a per-pupil basis.

The supervisors cut the School Board's bond request after School Superintendent Jerry Hill said the system wouldn't have time to incorporate the Gibson recommendations into its plans before the Nov. 8 referendum.

The $41 million school-bond ballot referendum has since been approved by a circuit court judge, according to Spotsylvania County Attorney Mark Taylor.

The petition seeking the referendum included both the School Board's $184 million request and the supervisors' approval of the $41 million ballot question.

The School Board passed a resolution Thursday accusing the supervisors of violating both state statute and the Virginia Constitution.

Taylor argued yesterday that the supervisors have the law on their side as they try to look out for the taxpayers.

"The statute merely says that the Board of Supervisors can only request an order for a special election on the issuance of debt for school purposes if the School Board has asked the supervisors to take such action," he said. "Nothing in the statute expressly or necessarily compels the Board of Supervisors to take any action following such a request.

"That the Board of Supervisors can just say 'No,'--either expressly or by simply doing nothing--necessarily implies that the supervisors also have the authority to request an order indicating less money for school purposes than requested by the School Board."

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Date published: 7/30/2005