Gov. Bob McDonnell, while proclaiming March 8-12 School Principals Week, made a statement related to education that is a crucial but often overlooked component of good schools. McDonnell said parents are responsible for the education of their children, while principals and teachers are entrusted by parents to guide, direct and impart knowledge to their children while at school.

Far too often these days, schools are seen as the be-all and end-all for a child's education and well-being, often to the point of taking care of needs that should be met in the home. In reality, that's asking far too much, although schools generally do as good as they can given the demands and available resources.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors and School Board met Wednesday to go over budget numbers and proposed cuts, and any way the pie is sliced, without some additional revenue, many very deep cuts will have to be made.

Imposing fees on various services, such as recreational sports, can raise some money, and some cutbacks in services can save money. But with the county facing close to a $2 million deficit and schools looking at a $6.4 million shortfall, supervisors and school board members all agreed that without more revenue even basic services and "bare bones" education will be difficult to maintain.

Both boards also agreed that "every option" is still on the table in both cuts and additional revenue. The two largest venues for those are pay cuts for county and school employees and an increase in the real estate tax.

An unusual chain of events that led to a delay in the reappointment of Franklin County Circuit Court Judge William Alexander II will soon draw to a close. Judge Alexander was recertified by a judicial legislative committee on Friday, the same committee that had earlier questioned him on his handling of a special grand jury that investigated the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. The investigation resulted in a misdemeanor charge related to recordkeeping against Sheriff Ewell Hunt.

Several legislators saw the report shortly after it was released to the public on Dec. 21 and wanted to know why it was released, and specifically why Judge Alexander had not recused himself from the case since it had local political implications related to his long-time friendship with former Sheriff W.Q. "Quint" Overton. Overton's son lost to Hunt in the 2007 sheriff's race.