School districts across the country are going across the ESSER cliff. During the pandemic, our decision makers temporarily figured out that our children are important and should not be left out to dry.

Here in Buncombe County, not only are we facing that ESSER cliff, but we are suffering from a state legislature that is deprioritizing education and is shifting funding away from our public schools to tax-payer funded voucher programs.

If our county commissioners fund the bare minimum that they are indicating, we are concerned that that could result in the possibility of losing upwards of 150 positions. That’s people that work with our children every day - classroom teachers, assistant principals, data managers, counselors.

We understand that county commissions are increasingly in a difficult position because the state is neglecting its responsibility to fully fund our public schools.

Unfortunately, it's going to take time, probably several years, to change the balance in the state legislature and policies at the state level. And our students desperately need the county commission right now. There is no time to lose, no time to wait. They have the power to take care of our kids right now.

Yet, your input was not heard. Our Board of Education has asked the Buncombe County Commission to fund a bare-bones budget that will do little more than keep the lights on and maintain current positions. And our county commission has indicated that they are not willing to fund even that fully. We must act and we must act now to come together in this time of crisis.

Are you going to stand by and watch as the crisis in our public schools worsens, as our schools are pushed to the brink? Or are you going to draw the line in the sand and say, this is the day that we put the general assembly and the county commission on notice; they cannot take away anything more from our students?

Will you take a stand to fight to save our schools?