If the bonds are sold, they'll be used to build the new Kettle Run high school in the Brentsville District, replacements for Yorkshire and Triangle elementary schools and additions to Rockledge, Marumsco Hills, Potomac View and Vaughn elementary schools. That's if the bonds are sold.

The problem is that the Board of County Supervisors hasn't set the tax rate yet. The preliminary school budget is based on a real estate tax rate of $1.03 per $100 of assessed value. If the tax rate is any lower than that, the School Board will have to scale back on its plans.

But the supervisors were supposed to decide two weeks ago on a maximum tax rate and after three meetings and a variety of different suggestions, they still can't get a majority vote on any proposal.

The reason why that affects the bond sales is because if the School Board ends up with less money than they were expecting, they're going to have to prioritize. The county can sell bonds to pay for school construction but the School Board will have to come up with cash to pay the debt service on those bonds. Coles Supervisor Marty Nohe (R) pointed out that they'll also have to have money to pay the new teachers and they'll have to have to present a good enough work environment in general to recruit teachers in the first place.

And if the tax rate is set too low, the School Board won't be able to do everything and will have to decide whether to prioritize construction, salaries, class size reduction or some other area.

The bigger problem is timing. Legally, a decision has to be made by the end of the month but since Tuesday was the supervisors' final meeting until April, it had to be done right away, before a tax rate is set and without a chance to confer with the School Board. After quite a bit of legal wrangling and several tries, however, they came up with a solution.

Nohe suggested that they pass a resolution authorizing the bond referendum, but with an additional clause that gives the School Board the power to change their minds and opt not to go through with it.

"I don't want to get in the business of telling them how to fund their priorities," he said.

Legally, the School Board only has until the end of the month to make a decision but that gives the members a chance to discuss the issue during their March 26 meeeting.