To the editor:

I’m writing in support of a strong, responsive, and realistic community. A community that tells the Vicksburg Warren School District enough is enough. As Mr. Saunders made clear in his letter published March 3, 2018, the VWSD budget is more than adequate for the education of students and facility maintenance. VWSD has a budgeting problem, not a funding problem, when it comes to operation and facility maintenance. Most people buy two tires at a time because they cannot afford four tires at a time. This is budgeting. If, VWSD replaced all their roofs at the same time, they’d go out at the same time, creating an unsustainable perpetual maintenance budget problem.

The Vicksburg Warren School District has been rated a level D for more than eight years including the last three years with the current Superintendent and Board of Trustees. The Superintendent and Board of Trustees want us to believe that the district has been unlucky and just unfortunate to still be rated a D. If, you wouldn’t accept that from your child, why are you accepting it from VWSD? The Administration’s priority has been the high performing students. The constant on all three plans were the growth of the magna schools with two sites and the academy of innovations expansion. Neither schools address nor resolve the issue of a D-rated school district.

The residents of Warren County deserve a proficient and honest school district with clear goals. Paying for a special election verses a free election in November is wrong and wasteful. Having only two precincts and voting at the high school where your child doesn’t go is wrong, gerrymandering and voter suppression.

It’s dishonest to say VWSD is competing with Clinton, Madison, Southaven and Germantown school districts because your child attends the public school based on where you live. Those school districts that VWSD wants to copy facilities have had substantial population growth before they got facilities upgraded. Warren County and the city of Vicksburg have declined in population the past 20 years. No responsible governing board would push property tax increases on a declining population.

The residents of Warren County have to take a closer look at what our governing boards are doing with their budgets that surpasses other cities, counties and school districts with our population. Yet, they (city, county and school district) never have enough money.

Please vote against the school bond on March 27.

John Shorter

Vicksburg