While there is one level of disappointment in the fact that apparently the majority of County Council has decided not to support a once in a lifetime opportunity for the school district and the town of Winnsboro, it is especially disappointing for an elected councilman to question the honesty and motivation of volunteers who have spent thousands of dollars of their own money and thousands of hours of their own time.
Mr. Pauley, this has never been a “circus”. This has been a selfless attempt on the part of Fairfield County citizen volunteers to bring about an improvement that they believe would benefit all of Fairfield County.
No “wool”, to my knowledge, has ever been pulled over anyone’s eyes in this entire process. For example, the email that you referred to in your comments that was reported in the press, was shared on the day it was received from the investors, August 30th, with both the County Manager and the County Council Chair. Furthermore, there was never any motive of private gain by any of the volunteers who have spent 2 years of their lives trying to make this initiative happen.
And so, what is lost this evening is both a unique opportunity and perhaps, most importantly, an opportunity to encourage other citizens in our County to step forward in the future with daring ideas that hold potential for change and improvement.
And so, the 22 acres beside the high school will continue to grow weeds, to NOT produce tax income or any economic activity for the town of Winnsboro. The school district will continue to struggle in the face of a worsening teacher shortage to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers.
And, the majority of teachers who do come to work in Fairfield County will continue to remain commuters who will travel to other communities and spend their money, raise their children, and contribute to that community’s well being.
And most sadly of all, the next time a Fairfield County citizen thinks about trying to personally get involved in improving the conditions in their County, they might well remember the volunteers who advocated for a “Teacher Village”, volunteers who had their honesty and their personal motivations publicly questioned by an elected County official.
Sue Rex
Chairman of Teacher Village Foundation
