Rodman worked with me on our version of President Reagan's "Grace" Commission up here in Columbia, which came up with hundreds of ideas that would save S.C. taxpayers millions dollars. He's somebody who, like me, believes in the notion of limited government and lower taxes, and I've always reserved the option of speaking out in support of folks who share those beliefs whether at the local, state or federal level. I've got nothing bad whatsoever to say about Rodman's opponent in this race, I simply know Rodman and wanted to say a couple of positive things on his behalf.
Having said that, I'd also like to reiterate what I've said from day one and make clear that my objection to a new $29 million school north of the Whale Branch has everything to do with the same thing -- protecting the taxpayer. If a person cares about both the quality of education and the size of your real-estate tax bill in Beaufort County, you ought to be concerned about this proposed school. The largest portion of our real-estate tax bills roughly 50 percent goes to education. Retirees pouring into the area present a huge tax base that allows Beaufort to spend above the state average, but no school board and no county should become cavalier in the way it spends taxpayer funds. Unfortunately, the discussions surrounding this school have suggested just that. The school board's own demographic studies do not support the current school proposal -- and that is a problem when you are talking about $29 million, more kids on buses rather than in classrooms or with their parents, higher busing costs for the useful life of the school and the impact of all three on Beaufort County real-estate bills. Real estate taxes are of such significance that a bill that proposes to cap their growth has reached my desk.
More significant than even tax bills though is the quality of education, and what we spend in one place is obviously money we can't spend somewhere else. We have profound education needs that warrant spending more of the educational dollar in the classroom and on teachers, which means we should look a second and a third time at spending on a project like the north-area school when numbers aren't there to support it. In fact, I spent a large part of the summer and fall in budget hearings that focused on setting priorities since we don't have unlimited funds for unlimited priorities in Columbia. That was the idea behind the Neighborhood Schools legislation that we advocated and ultimately passed so that local communities could build schools closer to home. It is also why I support the Priority Investment Act, which would encourage policy makers at all levels of government to consider building on existing public investment and thereby save taxpayers money. The point is that it is not just that we spend money on education that matters, but where we spend it.
I guess that brings me to anyone reading this. None of this can be made better if we are spectators to the process. Watching the way money is spent in government is a battle line that stretches from local to state and federal jurisdictions. I'll always speak out on things I don't think make good sense for taxpayers and for people who I think do. As we approach Election Day I hope folks in my home county of Beaufort will be doing the same.