Both Sides In School Debate Have Merit
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
I guess I was kind of disappointed that the dispute between Warsaw Community Schools and some of its patrons wound up in court.
I really hoped it wouldn't come to that.
I don't like the idea of lawsuits, motions, hearings, injunctions and the like when it comes to educating kids.
It has been a difficult few months for these two groups of people and I can see why.
On the one hand, if I was a parent in a small town, I wouldn't relish the thought of having my kid take a long bus ride to a portable classroom.
On the other hand, if I was a school administrator, I wouldn't be too thrilled about budget shortfalls in my general fund.
On the other hand (I know, that's one too many hands) I can see where it might be a little hard to take as a taxpayer when the school corporation's telling you they can't afford to maintain schools in small towns and simultaneously approves $30 million worth of sports, auditorium and administrative construction.
Something else to consider is that back in the days of consolidation - lo these 40 years ago - some assurances were made.
People who were around back then seem to recall administrators assuring small towns that even if there was consolidation, their towns would always have an elementary school.
Of course, that was a long time ago and certainly the administrators of today can't be charged with keeping the promises of adminstrators 40 years ago.
But I think the people in small towns in the infancy of consolidation had a pretty good idea of what would happen to their towns when the schools went away.
There is an inherent value in living close to a school, whether you have kids in the school or not.
Small town dwellers knew that.
So they begrudgingly went along with consolidation and gave up their K-12 schools. At least they still had an elementary.
Now, it seems, that is going to go away, too.
I get the sense that regardless of the outcome of this current battle of wills between the school and the patrons, the fate of the small schools is dim.
Even if this group is successful in heading off the current school board decision to close elementary schools in Atwood, Silver Lake and Claypool, what do you suppose the future holds?
New schools in those towns? A lot of money poured into the existing schools in those schools?
Doesn't seem very likely, does it?
There has even been talk of these schools seceding from WCS and becoming part of a neighboring school corporation.
But do you suppose the neighboring school corporation would be fired up about inheriting an elementary school on the fringe of its corporate limit that may or may not need repairs and renovations?
I think arguments on both sides of this issue have merit.
And I think there are good people on both sides of the argument. Both sides need to realize that.
I think the school board needs to realize that taxpayers are reaching the saturation point.
Taxpayers are starting to question the cost and absolute necessity of some school projects.
Even the most ardent sports supporters have to raise an eyebrow at a $7-million sports complex in the midst of an apparent financial crunch.
Sure, a debt service fund is already on the books, and floating a new bond won't increase taxes. But what would be wrong with paying off the existing bond and letting the debt service fund go away for a while?
Taxes could actually go down.
Do school corporations always have to have debt to service? Why not be debt-free if you can?
At the same time, taxpayers must realize that there is, in fact, a financial crunch in Indiana right now.
Schools are scraping to make ends meet. You can quibble about dollars and cents, but closing schools does save money.
And while there is no question that having a school in your small town helps maintain its vitality, I think small towns need to err on the side of caution and assume that someday that school might be gone.
Small towns need to work to attract and retain residents through other means.
Certainly, proximity to a school isn't the end-all and be-all of small town living.
There is plenty of value in small-town living beyond that.
The pace, the lifestyle, the friendships, the sense of community - all those things draw people to small towns, too.
My hope is that the two sides in this case can see their way to some sort of compromise without lengthy litigation and growing animosity.
Both sides need to remember that the cost of litigation - and the cost of delays in policy decisions - are borne by the taxpayers, too. [[In-content Ad]]
I guess I was kind of disappointed that the dispute between Warsaw Community Schools and some of its patrons wound up in court.
I really hoped it wouldn't come to that.
I don't like the idea of lawsuits, motions, hearings, injunctions and the like when it comes to educating kids.
It has been a difficult few months for these two groups of people and I can see why.
On the one hand, if I was a parent in a small town, I wouldn't relish the thought of having my kid take a long bus ride to a portable classroom.
On the other hand, if I was a school administrator, I wouldn't be too thrilled about budget shortfalls in my general fund.
On the other hand (I know, that's one too many hands) I can see where it might be a little hard to take as a taxpayer when the school corporation's telling you they can't afford to maintain schools in small towns and simultaneously approves $30 million worth of sports, auditorium and administrative construction.
Something else to consider is that back in the days of consolidation - lo these 40 years ago - some assurances were made.
People who were around back then seem to recall administrators assuring small towns that even if there was consolidation, their towns would always have an elementary school.
Of course, that was a long time ago and certainly the administrators of today can't be charged with keeping the promises of adminstrators 40 years ago.
But I think the people in small towns in the infancy of consolidation had a pretty good idea of what would happen to their towns when the schools went away.
There is an inherent value in living close to a school, whether you have kids in the school or not.
Small town dwellers knew that.
So they begrudgingly went along with consolidation and gave up their K-12 schools. At least they still had an elementary.
Now, it seems, that is going to go away, too.
I get the sense that regardless of the outcome of this current battle of wills between the school and the patrons, the fate of the small schools is dim.
Even if this group is successful in heading off the current school board decision to close elementary schools in Atwood, Silver Lake and Claypool, what do you suppose the future holds?
New schools in those towns? A lot of money poured into the existing schools in those schools?
Doesn't seem very likely, does it?
There has even been talk of these schools seceding from WCS and becoming part of a neighboring school corporation.
But do you suppose the neighboring school corporation would be fired up about inheriting an elementary school on the fringe of its corporate limit that may or may not need repairs and renovations?
I think arguments on both sides of this issue have merit.
And I think there are good people on both sides of the argument. Both sides need to realize that.
I think the school board needs to realize that taxpayers are reaching the saturation point.
Taxpayers are starting to question the cost and absolute necessity of some school projects.
Even the most ardent sports supporters have to raise an eyebrow at a $7-million sports complex in the midst of an apparent financial crunch.
Sure, a debt service fund is already on the books, and floating a new bond won't increase taxes. But what would be wrong with paying off the existing bond and letting the debt service fund go away for a while?
Taxes could actually go down.
Do school corporations always have to have debt to service? Why not be debt-free if you can?
At the same time, taxpayers must realize that there is, in fact, a financial crunch in Indiana right now.
Schools are scraping to make ends meet. You can quibble about dollars and cents, but closing schools does save money.
And while there is no question that having a school in your small town helps maintain its vitality, I think small towns need to err on the side of caution and assume that someday that school might be gone.
Small towns need to work to attract and retain residents through other means.
Certainly, proximity to a school isn't the end-all and be-all of small town living.
There is plenty of value in small-town living beyond that.
The pace, the lifestyle, the friendships, the sense of community - all those things draw people to small towns, too.
My hope is that the two sides in this case can see their way to some sort of compromise without lengthy litigation and growing animosity.
Both sides need to remember that the cost of litigation - and the cost of delays in policy decisions - are borne by the taxpayers, too. [[In-content Ad]]