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Well stated. Do you want to head up our version of the TRAC committee? We can call it SCAT- Soccer Community's Alignment of Taxation. No offense to you intended, I just liked the acronym and its other meaning. Since you will be in charge, you can rename it!

Unfortunately, in SC (like many other places) there are the haves and the have nots with respect to school funding. Historically, most of our districts (and the really the counties in which they reside) were based on the agrarian model and then the mills. As our way of life "evolved", the economics changed. While some counties have shifted to tourism or other fields, many of our counties are still considered agrarian or they are bedroom communities of larger cities. These latter two lack the tax base as it is currently structured to adequately fund schools on a local level. So the Yorks will have to be responsible citizens of SC and help others. The question then begs at what level? I know Beaufort and Greenville constantly bemoan the fact because they too have a great tax base.

I am not sure of how much local control we need to give everyone. I think of the mess with the politics in Fairfield right now or the previous embezzlement and colluding in other counties as barriers to providing total local control. There are some services/programs which local districts would immediately cut. Of course we know our Lt. Governor's favorite program would be one of the first to go if he were in charge locally. There just needs to be some checks to balance the local powers at times.

So, the SCAT committee is in charge of offering some solutions or at least ideas!



Well named!!! I wouldn't changed a thing!!!

There will always be corruption but you can't use that as an argument for structurally denying power where it belongs...locally!!! Guaranteed Columbia is more corrupt (speaking of state government) than local government. Would we like it......if Uncle Sam came around sniffing at us and said, hmmm....we'd love to give SC more autonomy but we don't trust you to make good decisions? Heck no, how ridiculous is that?

And my point wasn't about we in York County not helping poorer school districts elsewhere in the state. We should!! My point was......we here in York County should have the right to tax and fund local services like education AS WE SEE FIT, so long as it meets the state mandated minimum. I live in Fort Mill.......and we have had a BOOM influx of people crossing the border from Charlotte to live here BECAUSE of our schools. The quality of our schools is an economic drawing card that is an indisputable fact.

Reversing course on education will absolutely put a chokehold on our ability to continue to grow and prosper. If someone elsewhere thinks we're foolish......fine. But let us be foolish in our own way, so that the YC can continue to be a desirable alternative to Charlotte to live and work. We see quality schools and a quality education as a prerequisite.