Friday, April 4, 2008

County Executive Testifies Before Senate Education Committee on K-12 School Construction Needs

Lawrence County Executive Paul Rosson testified this week before the Tennessee Senate Education Committee regarding the proposed use of excess lottery funds for K-12 school construction projects.

Rosson appeared before the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, April 2 in Nashville at the invitation of Committee Chair Jamie Woodson. He discussed the need of Lawrence and other counties for an equal share of state lottery surplus funds for K-12 construction projects. Senator Doug Jackson and Representative Joey Hensley attended the meeting, along with several representatives of the Lawrence County School System.

Legislation currently pending before the General Assembly would divide excess lottery funds among each Tennessee county based on a per pupil ratio for school construction needs.  Under that proposal, Lawrence County would receive approximately $713,000. Rosson made the case to the committee that the surplus funds should be equally divided between all of the state’s 95 counties. Under that plan, each county would receive approximately $3.16 million.

Rosson explained that all Tennessee counties could benefit from K-12 construction funds, pointing out that approximately 550 Lawrence County students are currently attending classes in portable classrooms. “I think every county mayor and every county commissioner in the state would come before you and say that K-12 construction is not wasted money. It is something that we absolutely need in our counties.”

The Lawrence County Board of Commissioners recently adopted a resolution asking for the proposed excess lottery funds legislation to be amended to reflect an equal share for all counties. Several other mid-state counties have taken similar action.

 

.

.