For The Tennessean, anyway. Check out the title of their latest editorial - Metro students, city will pay price of budget cuts: Likely result is increased truancy, more drop-outs, unskilled workforce.

Holy cow. Serious thought is beyond these people. I may be wrong, but this sounds like Gail Kerr.

Yet, school board members were among those who warned what would happen if the city rejected the sales tax referendum. Gains made in providing music and arts to youngsters will falter. In addition to those teachers, 100 middle and high school teachers and 43 guidance counselors will be out of a job, along with 30 campus supervisors and 26 assistant principals. All the well-intentioned efforts to maintain schools, to provide adequate materials and textbooks for students, will be thwarted.

One of the school system’s most cherished goals — reaching those students who fall behind between middle school and high school — certainly will be jeopardized.

For the love of rationality, would someone, someone, PLEASE ask the mayor where 61 of the 67 cents of his most recent property tax went. This is absurd, and brings into question the good intentions of many involved in the funding, planning and current cuts occurring within the school board. Take on the mayor.

61 cents are unaccounted for. Bill Purcell, irresponsible mayor as he is, only marked 6 cents for schools. Is there anyone on the school board with a spine? Would someone with character on the school board take on the mayor and demand the funding they claim to need? Or are we short on leaders all the way around? What is there to fear? We are led by a bunch of wimps.

The price tag seems particularly harsh in light of the overall promising report Nashville schools received last week of gains made on several fronts. Nashville voters decided they didn’t want to pay more for schools, but the ultimate cost to the city could be far higher than the rejected sales tax increase would have been.

The sales tax was the third tax increase this summer. The desire for more funds and no accountability is outstanding even by local Democratic and Tennessean standards. Bill Purcell has increased property taxes by 50% since he entered office, and somehow, someway, it is not enough. You must be especially gullible to sit and take this as if it is the normal course of things. Has the city increased in population by 50% since Purcell took office? Sidewalks are great, but we so far all we see are many sidewalks to nowhere, and now, allegedly, the Metro public schools are in crisis. The biggest economic boom to hit Middle Tennessee in the last five years decided to relocate to Williamson County. Metro has failed the citizens of Nashville in many ways, and The Tennessean editorial board is so obtuse as to believe whatever they are fed.

Go ahead, if you choose to lead - ask Mayor Purcell where that 61 cents went. Ask him over and over and over until you get an answer.

If the school board will not lead, and advocate for the students, it must be replaced.