From Dr Robert Lautzenheiser

Monroe

To the Editor:

This letter is not for or against the need for a new high school, but rather to raise concerns regarding the school board and school administration. 

There is no question that the school is in very bad condition. What were the past school boards and administration not doing that lead to all the problems? Was the contract for the addition so poorly written that it gave the contractor the ability to short cut the build? Was the project manager negligence in the oversight? Who on the board or administration was doing the oversight for the project? Was it a lack of maintenance of the building that caused the problem? 

These are questions that the board and administration are not discussing to give the voters confidence that the same thing will not occur with the new school. Will you have a written and published maintenance plan and schedule for the new structure? 

In regards to the present school, the discussion to demolish it is appropriate for its condition, but to suggest keeping the property for green space shows a lack of responsibility to the taxpayers. If you show a lack of financial responsibility, you will have trouble with future referendums. 

One of the letters to the editor said that it is to be an open classroom concept. Speaking from past experiences this will not work. I have lived in two different school districts with open classrooms (one in Ohio and one in Washington state) that within 10 years were building walls to create individual rooms. The concept saves in construction cost in the beginning but the students end up being distracted and disturbed from the adjacent classrooms thus reducing their learning ability. Any teacher will tell you that maintaining a student’s attention is needed for their best learning capacity. If they are cutting that corner to reduce costs, what other corners will they cut? 

My no vote for the referendum is a no confidence vote for the board and administration, not the need for the school.