Editor:
I have read with great interest the letters both for and against 3B, the bond issue for the new high school. Several concerns keep reoccurring.
The first is that we cant trust the administration to tell us the truth or to follow through on promises. No doubt there have been mistakes made in the past and there are no guarantees for the future, but this is a new administration and we need to give them a chance. Wouldnt the best way to address issues we may have with the administration and the school board be directly approaching those entities and holding them accountable in public meetings, rather than penalizing our students by denying them a new school?
A second comment is that a new building wont raise test scores. You are right. A building wont take the place of active parents who promote and support education at home, teachers who are recognized for and encouraged to practice innovative and effective teaching methods, and a community that stands up to say, We think that education is one of the most important factors in the development of our youth and our community. This is our chance to start a new chapter.
The last is why dont we just repair, make do and continue to use the existing building. My observation is that there will be plenty of opportunity to do that with Mesa, Kemper, Manaugh, Lewis-Arriola and Cortez Middle School. If we pass 3B, we will be able to replace a building at half the taxpayer cost. If we repair, we get to pay for the entire (higher) cost ourselves and may still have a technologically inadequate and unsafe building.
If you are thinking that the school district should have taken better care of the high school, try taking building usage into account. Is there any other building in the entire county that gets used for as many hours a year by an average of 700-800 people each day, most of whom are teenagers?
Please consider carefully what your stand is on education and the future of the children in our community.
Holly Tatnall
Cortez
Via email