United they stand: Agreement is a positive sign that boards mean business

They could have argued for another couple of weeks and planned 15 more meetings on what to do about school facilities in Wayne County.

They could have stomped their feet and placed blame.

Instead, this week, the county commissioners and board of education created a roadmap to success -- and emphasized that they are determined to work together to get the job done.

Hallelujah.

The new memorandum of agreement does not sign away anyone's rights -- not those of the county commission to watch the money and to help create policies to improve education in the schools or the school board's right to make the educational decisions without threat of losing funding or facilities projects.

And, frankly, while the agreement really was a no-brainer, in the end, the people who will benefit most from this newfound spirit of cooperation are the children. New facilities and more funding for more programs cannot be far off.

Now that all the turf protection and bickering have been set aside, there is nothing standing in the way of the county and school district launching an all-out battle to improve the quality of Wayne County schools right now. The ideas that can be shared and the power of speaking with one voice cannot be discounted as a means to a rather important end.

Rather than working at cross-purposes, both boards can become one united, and strong, force that is focused on getting the job done in a timely and cost-effective manner.

We can have better schools now -- and come up with a responsible way to fund them -- because our leaders are setting an example of the cooperation necessary to get the job done.

And that will mean a brighter future for this county -- and its children.

Published in Editorials on October 8, 2008 11:08 AM