Dear Editor: On Thursday evening June 16, the RCPS school board voted 4-1 to raise property owners' school millage rate 1.51 mills. This will put Rockdale County at 4.50 mills over the state of Georgia's maximum rate of 20 mills. Three work days later they voted to give Superintendent King a performance bonus of nearly $9,000. Motions were made and a vote was taken with apparently no board member knowing what the bonus amount was. What a cavalier way to address such serious business, especially in these trying economic times. Not even Chairman Barksdale, nor Vice Chair Yontz knew how much the bonus would be. I'm glad it wasn't something like $20,000, based on the clueless way some members of our RCPS school board conduct business with the taxpayers' money.

My question to my fellow Rockdale County citizens is did you receive a bonus this year? I bet for most the answer is no. And if you did, was it around $9,000? Dr. King's salary is $200,000 plus benefits. The new superintendent of schools in Cobb County was just hired at $237,000. But guess what, Cobb County has around 105,000 students and Rockdale County has around 15,000 students. That is seven times as many students. So who is being overpaid and who is being underpaid? Keep in mind that Walton High School in Cobb County was listed in Newsweek magazine as one of the top schools in the nation. I don't recall any of Dr. King's schools in Rockdale County making that list unfortunately.

Did you ever notice that the RCPS school board does not record and televise their meetings on Comcast Channel 23 or on the internet? Why is that? Are they not interested in openness and transparency? The Rockdale County BOC meetings are televised, as are the Water & Sewage Authority meetings, and they have even added the Board of Elections to the schedule. We even can watch dog park exploratory meetings being televised, but not the school board meetings. It makes you wonder.

Again, I urge Rockdale County citizens to get involved with the RCPS and the school board to help insure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. From where I sit and from what I see, I question that they are now by this superintendent and this school board. An informed citizenry is critical to our future as a nation.

Jim Roppo
Rockdale County