Letters to the Editor

Vote for new Fairfield Middle School

This November 4th, while many important partisan elections are taking place, our community will also be deciding a non-partisan issue: Whether to build a modern middle school to serve the needs of our students, teachers, and families, or to place the burden of poor facilities on them.

The current middle school building was built in 1967, with an expected lifetime of fifty years. Voters of all ages, including many born before the turn of the previous century, elected to build the school we use today. It is our turn to do the same. There are many practical benefits to a new middle school building, here are three that are especially meaningful.

School building security is a completely different problem today than it was in the 1960s. The school shooting in Columbine, Colorado shocked the world twenty-five years ago, but it was unfortunately not an isolated incident. School policies regarding entrances and exits have evolved to fit our new reality, but the physical structure of those entrances and exits haven’t. The middle school has a locked doorway, but it leads into an open lobby, not a secure entrance where staff can identify and direct visitors.

Methods of teaching and learning have improved dramatically since the 1960s. In fact, IQ scores in each successive generation increase, requiring harder tests to keep an average IQ score of 100. Instead of expecting teachers to deliver facts for students to memorize, modern classrooms are built for collaboration, problem-solving, and project-based learning. New classrooms are also designed for current technology like the internet, which was not much more than theoretical research when FMS was built.

Legislation in 1990 guaranteed all Americans access to public services regardless of disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act quickly changed minds about excluding disabled Americans, but its more gradual impact was in building designs. Older buildings such as FMS don’t meet ADA standards, but all new public construction is compliant. While staff in our school makes up the difference to serve all students, a new building would directly meet the community’s needs.

Similar cases exist for the building’s windows and doors, indoor air quality, pick-up and drop-off, energy efficiency, and impact on community growth, just to name a few. These issues aren’t likely to be addressed by repairing and renovating the existing building.

For example, the structure of FMS was built too low on its site, which means water can not be effectively drained away from the foundation, and will continue to infiltrate the building, no matter what renovations are done. This can be managed by staff and addressed with maintenance, but wastes time and money that is better spent supporting teachers and educating students.

Making repairs and upgrades to FMS is not a wise use of taxpayer funds. That strategy is expensive, less effective, and at the end of the day, will still result in an old building being stretched beyond its intended capabilities. Vote “Yes” to build a new school building this November, it’s the smart choice.

Signed,

Frank Broz, Tammy Dunbar, Elizabeth Esty, Bob Ferguson, Louise Lynch, Ed Malloy, Woody Orne, and Lori Schaefer-Weaton

Vote yes on Highland bond

On Tuesday, November 5th, registered voters in the Highland Community School district will be asked to vote on the bond referendum that Highland Community Schools is presenting for approval. This bond would make much needed improvements to the locker rooms at the high school, update the commons area, and add a multi-purpose room for more activity space. The elementary will have an updated entrance for a better controlled area to keep our students safer and more space for enhanced learning.

I have been a patron of the Highland Community School District all my life. I am the oldest of 13 children who all graduated from the Highland Community School District. My three children have also graduated from the Highland School District as well. All of us have received a fine education and are living successful lives.

Highland has been “home” for me and hopefully it has been for some of you reading this as well. During my lifetime, I have been involved in chaperoning for field trips, helping raise funds for our music and sports areas, and serving on the school board for 18 years. I have been involved in many projects while serving on the board and am proud of what has been accomplished. Education is constantly evolving and changing and schools need to keep pace with this change. Buildings also need to keep pace with change to serve the needs of staff and students. Schools don’t ask for money because they want to, they ask for money because they need to.

I hope you will vote YES to pass the bond referendum for Highland Schools. This helps our district make the needed updates and changes necessary to carry out the needs our staff and students have today and into the future. We need to nurture and protect our students and staff. This is the investment I believe ensures that for generations to come.

Cindy Michel

Riverside