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Claim: Cotton Tree Public School received its first budgetary allocation in fiscal year 2023; it amounts to $55,000.
Verdict: Misleading. Stagemedia’s check indicates that the Cotton Tree Public School received budgetary allocation in 2022, not 2023, as suggested by the lawmaker.
Full Text
Representative Ivar Jones, District #2, is one of the officials seeking re-election in Margibi County in the October 10, 2023 polls.
The Margibi lawmaker was elected in 2017. In a campaign for reelection during a library dedication programme, Mr Jones stressed the issues of education, employment, agriculture, security, and reconciliation, among other things, during his 5th annual legislative report.
The association of Firestone residents in the United States built the modern library centre. During the dedication programme, Jones said the national budget has captured the Cotton Tree public school and has allocated money for the completion of the project.
He made the statement [1; 47–48] at the dedication and in the district report on Cotton Tree Public School’s renovated structure.
According to him, it was through his instrumentality as a member of the Budget Committee that $55,000 was allocated to the school in 2023.
Jones further recommended the building’s painting, cement for the floor, plastering, etc.
The Cotton Tree public school was built in 2015 under the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
After its establishment, the school has been deplorable for several months as school-going children and instructors endure the rather deplorable situation.
The Stage Media was contacted to check this claim by a journalist identified as Abraham Howison
Journalist Howison said in his communication, “Good morning, stage media. I’m a local journalist from Radio Peace FM 96.5 MHZ in Harbel Firestone, lower Margibi County. There are claims and counterclaims over the Cotton Tree public school situated in Margibi District #2 that the institution in the 2023 budget received 55 thousand United States dollars for the construction of additional annexes.”
He further revealed that the District #2 lawmaker informed his people that the money was placed in the renovation and maintenance budget instead of the annexes’ construction.
According to Mr Jones, it is the first time the school has been captured in the national budget since its establishment in 2015. He hoped that the school would remain on the budget.
Verification: We researched the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget to verify Jones’ claim.
The FY 2023 budget did not show a Cotton Tree Public School budgetary allocation.
However, the FY 2022 budget allocated US$50,000 to the school instead of US$55,000, as claimed by Jones.
Our research further established that the lawmaker was right to say it was the first time the school received a budgetary allotment.
Conclusion
According to our research, the Margibi District #2 lawmaker correctly stated that the Cotton Tree Public School received budget allotment for the first time. However, he was incorrect in stating that the school received US$55,000 in FY 2023 when it was allocated US$50,00 in FY 2022. It is, therefore, misleading to suggest the allocation came in 2023 through his influence.
This story was produced with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development’s (CJID) support.
