Financial Transparency in CCSD

Charleston County School Board Members shed just a smidgen of light on the Byzantine expendures of the district in this week's op-ed.

Thanks to Todd Garrett and Kate Darby, we now know that Charleston County spends 25 percent more per student than Greenville County while paying its teachers and principals less. Ask yourself, has this top-heavy expendure on administration and special programs produced better results? Clearly, the answer is "no" if you judge by outcomes, as Garrett and Darby point out.

Further, the student-growth excuse for a tax hike uses figures that suggest the district will grow next year almost as much as it has in total over the last 15!  How much was paid to a consultant for that projection?

Garrett and Darby confirm the "implicit guarantee" made during the sales-tax extension that passing it "would ensure that we didn't raise taxes." Where did the idea originate that taxes should rise anyway?

Either Acting-Superintendent Bobby is disingenuous, or the Taj Mahal is feeding him a line.