Strong Schools: Strong Community

These will be my final remarks about the upcoming special election on September 13. By the time this hits the newspaper, we will be just days away from the election. No matter your position, I encourage you to take every advantage to make your voice heard. 

This has been an extraordinary process that has been over a year in the making. It started to gain momentum a summer ago, when the Board of Education held discussions surrounding the aging mechanical systems in the high school. It blossomed from there. 

Of course, the hard work really began in January, when we first convened our community task force. Throughout this journey, I have been steadfast in my position that our work and this plan had to be community driven. By no means did we set out to place a bond issue on the ballot simply because the superintendent thought it was a good idea. In the final analysis, I'll have exactly as much say in the outcome as you will: one vote.

I would like to thank all the community members who served on our task force. The gift of your time was greatly appreciated. You provided key input, helped think critically about our school building, and crafted a recommendation to the board that drove to the heart of sifting through our “needs” and our “wants.” Regardless of the result on September 13, your work is to be commended. 

I also want to thank all those who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our community meetings. You asked great questions and provided helpful feedback.

Now, I want to circle back to what could be one of the most important components of this project: the Career and Technical Education Center—commonly known as the “shop.” Our current shop building is a repurposed factory from a bygone era, used for our industrial arts and agriculture programs. While the facility met our needs in the past, it does not reflect a good use of space or today’s industry standards. 

Our plan calls for razing that building and constructing a new center dedicated to the two programs. 

Some have questioned why we do not utilize the Waterloo Career Center instead of building a new shop building. The fact is that we do use the WCC for career strands not offered in the district, with the most notable being nursing. But for those we do offer here, it makes sense for students to participate in their home district. 

Additionally, the 14-minute commute to and from the WCC would consume at least three periods of the school day. The WCC also does not have an agriculture program. 

In my view, we want to educate our students here in our community. For the first time in two decades, we have four full-time CTE instructors in our district. The career and technical education programs we offer are second to none. 

In the final analysis, there is no mistaking the fact that strong schools make for a strong community. Ensuring we have a comprehensive array of course offerings across a broad spectrum of disciplines only strengthens our school.