With schools, what’s best for kids should come first
Letter to the Editor,
The voters have spoken, and the recent bond issue to build a new elementary school in Wooster was defeated by an almost 4-1 margin.
Prior to the vote, we had some unanswered questions and decided to attend one of the informational meetings. There were several legitimate concerns and questions raised, and we learned quite a bit about the strong feelings voters had on both sides of the issue. Comments about doing it now because state money is available, the educational value of grade-level buildings and the one-campus concept made sense, but so did the concerns about affordability, traffic and how a new school would increase the need for operational funds that the school does not have.
We were disappointed the most important question never came up. In our opinion it is the question that should be answered in every decision made by and for schools. That question is: “What’s in the best interests of the kids, now and in the future?” The results of the vote make this question even more pressing.
Cornerstone was supposed to be replaced almost 30 years ago but was saved at that time due to historic preservation concerns. That same argument is being used by some to save the building again, and the truth is that’s not a bad idea. It truly is iconic, and if someone wants to buy it and renovate it for office space, living space or shopping, that’s a great idea we support. What we can’t support is trying to save it for educational use for the simple reason it is not in the best interest of the kids who will be there in the next 10 or 20 years.
Did you know a corner of the library and the auditorium are roped off because the ceiling is unsafe? Some ground-floor rooms have dehumidifiers because they are constantly moist and humid, and there is at least one room with a structural crack in the outside wall. Teachers purchase air purifiers using their own money to offset the mold and mildew they and their students breathe in every day.
The building is a catastrophe waiting to happen. There is no way anyone can say using this building is in the best interest of students, teachers, support staff or anyone else. Given this information, we feel we can make a pretty strong argument the building shouldn’t be used as a school right now, much less in the future.
It’s frustrating we don’t have an answer for all this, but an answer needs to be found before an outside support wall collapses (again) or a piece of ceiling falls and injures a child. We cannot feel good about saving the building at the expense of our children.
“What’s in the best interests of our kids” is a difficult question, but it needs to be the driving question in what comes next for Wooster City Schools.
Chuck Cooper
John Moritz
Mike Mann
Editor’s note: The three authors of this letter are retired Wooster City Schools administrators.