Sept. 17, 2002, is an important day for the Lincoln CountySchool District. That’s when voters will decide the fate of a $3.8million bond issue to pay for improvements at the four countyschools.

In a nutshell, the bond will cover a new classroom building onthe campuses of Loyd Star, Enterprise and West Lincoln. At BogueChitto, the work will involve the planned destruction of the oldschool building and the building of a new cafeteria and twoclassrooms. The bond issue will also cover expansion of thesuperintendent’s office on Monticello Street.

Superintendent Perry Miller told the school board last week thatthe bond will likely meet the district’s growth needs for the next5 to 10 years.

A 4 to 5 mil tax increase would be needed to pay for the bond,but officials say the average person’s annual tax increase wouldnot be much. A person who owned a $50,000 home and a $10,000 carcould expect a tax increase of roughly $32 a year at four mils and$40 a year at five mils, the school board was told Mondaynight.

To pass, 60 percent plus one of the voters in the schooldistrict must approve the bond issue.

We encourage those voters who reside in the county schooldistrict — for they alone will decide whether or not the bondissue goes through — to get involved in the election process, evenif they don’t have children in the school system.

With the election just six weeks away, now is the time to askquestions about the bond issue.

Undoubtedly, the question of consolidation will be raised. Thelast time the issue came up — in 1997 — the county was about toundertake improvements at the schools. With $2.5 million in bondand state money and about $6.6 million from the MississippiAdequate Education Program, upgrades were made on all fourcampuses.

We applaud Superintendent Miller and the school board forlooking to the future. They have the tough job of providing for thestudents while not placing an unbearable burden upon thetaxpayers.

Every child in Lincoln County is entitled to the best educationpossible. The school district in which they reside should make nodifference. A good education is not cheap. If anything, it’s likethe catch-word in a popular commercial these days:

Priceless.