Letter to the editor: Consider existing building for magnet school

By: By Will Culbreath | Marion
Published: December 11, 2008

There has been a great deal of debate about building a new high school and/or magnet school in our county. Both options have merit but, for some strange reason, very little input outside the Board of Education itself has been sought. This raises some obvious questions about agendas and motives despite the oft-quoted "We want to do what's best for our kids" argument. I'd bet some of our county's 42,000 other citizens also would have some pretty good insight. So, why not ask them? Sorry, the hastily-called and therefore scantily-attended Friday night session in May of this year doesn't really count. However, the recent McDowell News poll showing 81 percent against a new building probably should.
When our County Commissioners felt they couldn't support the additional financial burden of building a new high school at this time, the School Board's focus seemingly and immediately shifted to the idea of building a magnet school. Why? Who really benefits the most? What building and/or upgrade projects at existing schools will have to be put off to pay for any new building? Is it actually true the School Board is exploring the option of its own taxing authority? Do you think this whole issue smells a little funny to the taxpayers of this county?
I'm not saying the magnet school concept focused on vocational/technical education is a bad idea. I think it's actually a refreshingly forward-thinking concept. But, in these tough economic times, can we not explore all options and remove our laser-like focus on a new building for one minute?
Here's an idea — at least seven industrial buildings, ranging in size from 14,000 — 520,000 square feet, sit empty in our county today. Several of these are newer and in excellent shape, so that removes the "old, dilapidated building" argument. If a magnet school concept is right for us, would it not more economically feasible to look at purchasing one of these available buildings and adapting it for this new purpose? Do you think this might cost a little less than $30-$40 million dollars? Do you think our citizens might welcome one less empty building sitting in our county?
We all understand the need to continuously improve the system we have now. We understand that we have to look to, and prepare for, the future. But, there are far more urgent issues in our school system than constructing a new building. And "we the people" understand we'll have to pay for whatever decisions are made for many years to come. If I were an elected official, I'd want a great deal of public input before I made the decision to put that burden on the taxpayers of McDowell County.

Letter to the editor: Consider existing building for magnet school

Share This:

More from this channel:

Reader Comments

Deal of the Day

Most Popular

More Ways to Connect

Most Commented

Things to Do