March 17, 2007 - From this week's Brunswick Beacon: Brunswick County school board members on Tuesday reversed their previous decision not to support a $2 billion state bond referendum for public school construction after receiving a breakdown of how the money will be allocated.
The state has estimated Brunswick County Schools would likely receive $13 million, according to the formula, which bases allocation on enrollment, population growth and low-wealth status. "We feel like this is as fair as it can be," said Superintendent Katie McGee, recommending approval of the resolution supporting the bond. "There's no proposal that would please everybody."
Last month, the board voted 4-1 against the resolution, with board chairman Scott Milligan casting the dissenting vote. Board members said they did not have enough information about the bond referendum and did not trust the organizations that supported the idea, mainly the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, N.C. Council of Chambers of Commerce, the N.C. School Boards Association and the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Some of those were the same groups that touted passage of the education lottery as the key to supporting public education.
This month, board members Charlie Miller and Shirley Babson changed their votes, saying it was good that the board asked questions about the funding allocation before approving the resolution. "If we would've had this information at the last meeting, we might have supported it," said Miller. By Sarah Shew Wilson

Feb 16, 2007 - The Brunswick County Board of Education voted 4-1 Tuesday night to reject a resolution asking the state General Assembly to propose a $2 billion bond referendum for school construction throughout the state.
Board Chairman Scott Milligan cast the dissenting vote, saying the legislature needs to talk about facilities needs and let the public vote on how to fund them. Other board members were less impressed with the resolution, especially when learning of its source.
The request came from the "Education: Everybody's Business Coalition," whose members include the N.C. Association of School Administrators, N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, N.C. Council of Chambers of Commerce, the N.C. School Boards Association and the Public School Forum of North Carolina. By Sarah Shew Wilson, Brunswick Beacon