School Board Must Reconsider Plans
I for one am glad that I spotted the editorial for the school project in the Sunday news. I carefully read over the information, and assumed that the school district would have no problem defending their position in the Faq’s. It turns out that the Residents and Borough Council did their homework, while the school district gets an incomplete.
I think it’s a powerful statement when the Borough Council expresses serious reservations about the project and asks for a delay to study it further. Mount Joy Township also agrees that this has merit. The school district does not mention many important factors that needed to be considered when choosing the location, including walking, smart growth, and conformance with Lancaster County planning. Thankfully we have residents and elected local officials willing to consider all of the options.
The school district probably feels empowered to make this school decision on their own, but let’s all agree that input from the municipalities is vital to getting this large scale project correct. The school district clearly rushed this and headed down the wrong path by not consulting others before the project got to this stage. Delaying the project may initially cost the school district money for modular units if they are needed to alleviate the stated crush, but these costs will pale in comparison to the millions of dollars needed to duplicate infrastructure unnecessarily. The school district did not adequately explain why the land to the east of East High or the fairgrounds cannot be used. Stating that they need this land for future sports fields is dubious. Are they planning to invent high school sports that currently do not exist, and do Sports fields need the amenities that are afforded by co-locating the new school with the existing facilities? If the fields are needed, put the sports fields on the Bear Creek property, and the school on High Street.
The school board needs to read this posted information carefully, and recognize that they are elected officials that must listen to the public. School board members are to be accessible to their district residents and accountable for the performance of the district’s schools. They also serve as the community’s watchdog, ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely on education.
I think it’s a powerful statement when the Borough Council expresses serious reservations about the project and asks for a delay to study it further. Mount Joy Township also agrees that this has merit. The school district does not mention many important factors that needed to be considered when choosing the location, including walking, smart growth, and conformance with Lancaster County planning. Thankfully we have residents and elected local officials willing to consider all of the options.
The school district probably feels empowered to make this school decision on their own, but let’s all agree that input from the municipalities is vital to getting this large scale project correct. The school district clearly rushed this and headed down the wrong path by not consulting others before the project got to this stage. Delaying the project may initially cost the school district money for modular units if they are needed to alleviate the stated crush, but these costs will pale in comparison to the millions of dollars needed to duplicate infrastructure unnecessarily. The school district did not adequately explain why the land to the east of East High or the fairgrounds cannot be used. Stating that they need this land for future sports fields is dubious. Are they planning to invent high school sports that currently do not exist, and do Sports fields need the amenities that are afforded by co-locating the new school with the existing facilities? If the fields are needed, put the sports fields on the Bear Creek property, and the school on High Street.
The school board needs to read this posted information carefully, and recognize that they are elected officials that must listen to the public. School board members are to be accessible to their district residents and accountable for the performance of the district’s schools. They also serve as the community’s watchdog, ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely on education.
Please reconsider. If you think I am making this up, please read the PA association of School boards web site. It is ok to admit that this plan may not be carefully thought through, and that the municipalities and residents have good points. Answering to these concerns and the letters from the township and borough cannot be done by posting Faq’s. Step up and do the right thing, and delay this project so it can be done correctly.
