OpEd: School Options: One option in depth

Video: School: Supr. Heidi Carvin presents building options: 9-10-2008; 4 of 4 video. Complete audio on the Evansville Observer.


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One option of the several available for increasing the capacity of the Evansville School District---is to follow the original plan devised in 2000-----add the wing on the Evansville High School that is designed into the infrastructure---the efficient geothermal heating already has the capacity to handle it.

By adding a wing, and in effect, making a junior,senior high for just a temporary period of time----the rock county population study does not show an increase in high school enrollment for a long time out----this would enable a shift of some current middle school students to the new space, and then with the second step----an enhanced site for the current intermediate school which would entail picking up some parcels with voluntary homeowner involvement over five years, would enable an enhanced facility at the current intermediate school to house the increase in elementary students---and only the 1st to 4th grade will show increases in enrollment as I understand it for 2018.

The plan for the current middle school site under this option would be "repurposing" but in reality, in order to make the numbers work for the taxpayer---the site must be removed from tax roles. Dreams of expanding the role of the school system to take over daycare in Evansville must cease....as well as dreams of expanding the grade levels to 4k. The community has voted on that and it has been defeated.

The option presented above would be the lowest cost option available for taxpayers. It would require disciplined enhancement of the current intermediate school site and an allocation of funding for that purpose. It would also seem to require that a more detailed enginering examination be done of the current elementary and intermediate school to precisely determine what portions should be destroyed and rebuilt in a configuration that is two story and more effectively uses the footprint of land available.