Some Belmont County school officials are upset that the county's Developmental Disabilities Board seems to have plenty of money - perhaps an $8 million budget carryover from the previous fiscal year - while educators are pinching pennies.
Shadyside school Superintendent Terry Brinker brought up the topic during a recent meeting involving school officials and county Auditor Andy Sutak.
The number of children being educated by the DDB has decreased, with some children formerly handled by the board now being educated in public schools, Brinker said. "Why are they still getting tax dollars and acting as though they need tax dollars?" Brinker asked.
That is a good question. If the DDB is bringing in more tax money than it needs to handle children with developmental disabilities, its tax levy rate should be reduced.
How that can be done is a question, however.
During the recent meeting, Sutak said he would like to arrange another gathering involving school leaders, DDB representatives and county tax and budget officials. That is an excellent idea - if only to clear the air about what obviously is a matter of concern to financially strapped educators.
We encourage Sutak to arrange such a meeting as soon as possible. Then, if the DDB is collecting more tax money than it needs, steps should be taken to decrease its levy rate as soon as possible.
