The County Commission is a picture of cooperation voting unanimously on every resolution last Monday night. Sorry I couldn't be there to see that.

But the discussion on school funding left me confused.

Commissioner Collier said that revenue from a wheel tax would have to be shared with Oak Ridge, which already spends 35% more than we do per student and has a top 100 school system, which is just an odd coincidence I'm sure.

The School Board has worked on a plan for Roane County Schools. Our schools have been a bit neglected and have squeaked by admirably on a limited budget but now we have to fix some things.

Our Elementary schools are severly overcrowded and the trailers we ordered are a bit late in being delivered. Don't worry though, we'll have those things in place and march those kids inside them as soon as the cement blocks get here and we get the wheels off.

The School Board put together a plan that would cost $47 million bucks, and that is a bare bones plan, actually...

Then we read ">this

Commissioner Bobby Collier explained that some of the money generated from a $50 wheel tax must go to Oak Ridge Schools, so Roane County Schools would only have around $34 million to work with.

"In order to make that happen you're going to need the support of the school board and cut the cost of the project from $47 million to in that range of $34 million," Collier said.

Now Commissioner Collier is no dummy, in my personal experience, so we either have a quote taken out of context...or somebody has convinced him that you can build two thirds of a bridge and still cross the river.

Ok, I'm poking fun here, but Roane County has to step up and get its priorities straight. Commissioner Collier wants to short our schools about (let's see 47 minus 34 is 13)...Thirteen? Thirteen Million?

And how much is the Taj Ma Jail costing us?