The Real Question
by Barry Venable and Pat Salstrand
On April 7 voters in the ROCORI School District will be asked to approve a 25 year bond proposal of no more than $29,990,000 to build a new ROCORI Middle School and make needed improvements to other district facilities. The proposal is district-wide in scope and the outcome of the referendum will affect every child in the district. This is the eight and last in a series of articles designed to help voters as they study the issues in support of making an informed decision.
Our school system and its facilities are the focal point of our communities. Together with the family and the church, our schools will produce the Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond of tomorrow. Our kids need and deserve school houses that improve their education rather than distract them from getting one.
The referendum question on the ballot is really pretty simple to answer. If you believe the future well-being of our communities flows through our children then voting yes to provide them adequate, decent and safe schools in which to learn doesn’t require a lot of thought. If you have doubts that the future of our communities is laid on a strong educational foundation and that adequate facilities play a significant role in education, then you have some thinking to do before marking the ballot.
This referendum proposal is solely about school buildings and their relationship to a strong education for our kids. Building a new middle school will improve education by removing the physical distractions and lack of basic accommodation so prevalent in the current middle school. Improving the high school to accommodate more students and provide better academic spaces will improve education. Freeing up space in all three elementary schools will improve education. Reutilizing the best parts of the old middle school as a district education facility will improve education on a community-wide basis.
The building proposal is also about organizing the Middle School student body into an educationally-focused grade arrangement. This community has for years wanted to institute a true middle school concept—grades 6 to 8—because of the inherent educational value in that model. Instead, we’ve settled for an ad hoc arrangement with minimal educational value because the facilities available to the district limit our options.
The building proposal is also about sound financial management of scarce operational resources. Once completed the proposal is estimated to save the district about $400,000 per year in operating and maintenance costs—money which can then be applied to educational programming efforts. During a time of decreasing state aid for education, saving our money is critically important.
The referendum proposal is not, however, about the performance of the school board, lack of trust in the school board, curriculum, the budget, teacher salaries and retirement benefits, the teacher’s union, unqualified teachers, the No Child Left Behind Act, state education funding, or competition with other districts. Those issues are certainly important and do need to be confronted and solved, but at the proper time and in the proper manner. In our society we deal with those issues during November elections and through active citizen participation at school board meetings. April 7, though, is simply about school buildings.
For those who think strictly in economic terms and have concerns about the economy we offer the following. Our school system is an economic engine. It is one of the largest institutions and employers in the area. Its success or failure, and yes, its reputation, dramatically impacts the economic climate of all three cities.
There is never a good time to spend money. Yet, the best time to spend is when you can get what is needed at a value price that can be financed to fit into your budget. The right purchase will fix the need for a long time, prevent the waste of money, and assist in achieving your goals. Over time, making the right purchase saves more money.
The proposal makes full use of scarce resources and is a good investment. We build modest yet sturdy buildings. We put our money into our newest facilities, considerably extending their life span. We don’t throw good money at bad buildings because we avoid substantial investment in renovation and maintenance of old and deteriorating facilities. A single referendum addresses the District’s facility needs for the foreseeable future, and at the end of the day the cumulative value of our investment is significantly greater than our cost. Sound fiscal management means voting yes on April 7.
We don’t know what will happen with the national economy. It is beyond our control. We do know the Middle School facility issues and at other district facilities must get fixed because the health, safety, welfare, and education of our children matter. We can choose to fix them in the manner we desire while staying within our means, or we can choose to wait and allow others to make us fix them. If we choose to wait, the cost will be transferred directly to the taxpayer and we will still have the old building configuration and same district wide issues. The point is that there is a significant cost to voting no, and voting no may end up costing much more. If history is any judge there will be long term improvement in the national economy. Our mothers and fathers faced similar tough economic times, and since 1967 have somehow managed to build a pretty decent school district from scratch. We too need to make the right decisions and move that legacy forward.
Finally, this proposal will put people to work. The school district is considering a Construction Manager approach to the project instead of a General Contractor approach. Under this approach, sub-contracts will be awarded on a low bid process. Typically 70% or more of these sub contracts are awarded to contactors within a 30 mile radius of the project. Considering this is a $29.9 million project, a lot of our money has great potential to stay home.
The need is now. The current economic climate presents some challenges yet also provides opportunities for real savings. The costs are significant but not overwhelming. The benefits are numerous, and the opportunity to dramatically improve our children’s education. our school facilities, and our communities' net worth at a value price is at hand.
Can we afford to not make this investment now?
The writers are concerned parents of school-age children and co-chairs of the Build a New Middle School Referendum Committee.
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