Red, White, & Roux

We live in a world of busy-ness. Our lives are defined by obligations. So much is left half-done without having received our full attention. There's just not enough time. Think about the unwritten thank-you notes, that letter not answered, the forgotten birthday, the funeral / wedding / anniversary we simply couldn't fit into the schedule.
Then there are the countless meetings - county, city, library, school board, church. We care about the issues; we even have something to add, but it all becomes a blur when there are daily fires which must be put out.
I'll just bet that you, like me, have faced the runny nose, scratchy throat, achy feeling and said to yourself, "I cannot get sick. I just don't have time." I will also lay odds that sometimes you just want to shut down your brain. Those 3 a.m. whirlwinds of thought just go round and round with no clear resolution.
What to do? I try to put the worries and concerns into compartments. If no immediate decision is required, that distressing distraction falls lower on the list. Covering a potential bounced check becomes more important than planning a yearly budget.
These days, my list of worries includes students who believe school should be over by now, packing up my classroom for next year's move to the new Franklin County school building, impending FCAT scores, summer employment, and next year's tuition for my son at college.
It's just more than the old noggin can handle, yet it must. And now there is a new all-important issue to occupy the time and the brain cells.
After listening to recommendations from the Franklin County school district employees' union, and advice from school district personnel, I spent time last week working on a marketing plan. The purpose is to educate voters that a "yes" vote on the school funding referendum, up for a vote on June 10, won't raise taxes, even though this transfer of existing tax money is incorrectly worded as an "increase." We are arguing that it could help build a school system in this county that is finally competitive with the rest of the state, and the nation.
This could present Franklin County with an incredible opportunity. If the voters approve, we could transfer money designated for capital outlay (buildings) to the general fund (operating expenses and salaries). That would mean about a million and a half dollars going straight to the classroom, and other areas of need. Our hard-working custodians (who still make less than $20,000 a year) could get a substantial raise, along with other employees in the system - like school bus drivers, paraprofessionals, lunch room workers, and, yes, teachers like me.
The benefits could be huge, and it wouldn't cause a tax increase. Sounds like a no-brainer, right?
Enter the Apalachicola Bay Charter School.
Charter schools don't have to play by the same rules that we in the rest of the state's public education system must obey. For instance, they don't have to follow many school board decisions and state requirements. Franklin County's charter school has higher pay rates than the public schools, and their employees aren't in the Florida retirement program, receiving a 401K plan instead.
Charter school supporters are said to have packed the last Franklin County school board meeting, insisting on a cut of any new money, despite the charter school's lack of accountability to voters and elected officials. Not-so-veiled threats were made about campaigning against the referendum.
Those of us working for the passage of the referendum have really been hoping that it would receive widespread support with little, if any, divisive outrage.
I should have known better. Dividing up money is rarely pretty. I am reminded of the year Apalachicola High School went from a state rating of "D" to being classified as a "C" school. There was a large cash bonus from the state to be divvied up. How to do it? Teachers only? Math and English teachers only? Paraprofessionals? Bus Drivers? Custodians? Lunch room workers? The issue was finally resolved, but only after difficult meetings and wounded feelings.
After many 3 a.m. brain whirls about this referendum and the charter school money grab, I have decided not to worry about it. When money is at stake, the gloves come off and people often make threats they don't really mean. Let's just see if we can get this referendum passed, and let the school board decide where the dollars may fall. This is the kind of issue they were elected to address.
At my last count, none of Franklin County's charter school teachers was in the school district employees' union. The union is working to try and get this referendum passed, so charter school employees could reap the benefits of active union representation without paying the dues.
But, hey, I can't say that I blame them. Everybody wants a raise.
Denise Roux is a regular columnist with the Apalachicola and Carrabelle Times.