Spotsylvania County's School Board voted 6-1 Monday night to tap the school contribution fund for the project. Martin A. Wilder Jr. cast the sole no vote. They asked board member Lee Broughton if the county could offer any help. She remembered the board hadn't used the school contribution fund in years.
Residents can donate to the fund when they file their county taxes.
She asked that the board vote on giving all the money in the fund to the PTA during the March 12 meeting. Several members said they were unaware of the fund, and asked for more time to decide. School Board member Marilyn Boren said Gov. Jim Gilmore's latest plan is to state employees a raise by cutting contributions to the Virginia Retirement System, which he said currently is overfunded. Boren said schools would get raises only for Standards of Quality positions, which are the minimum a school must have. Superintendent Jerry Hill said the county needs a quality school system in order to attract business, which could help broaden the county's tax base.