Date: 2/9/2007
12:16:56 PM
To: Ms
Haynes
Subject: Ideas for
SPMS and SP neighborhood
Dear Ms. Haynes.
Thank you so much for speaking with me on the
phone. Here is the draft I mentioned to you.
I am very happy to hear that the idea to demolish SPMS
has been taken off the table as you indicated. However I would like to
address even the closing of the school, as well as the closing of
Bingman. I will admit I have no children in the school district anymore,
but as I touched on in my previous communication with you, and in our
phone conversation, to do that will eliminate all schools with the
exception of the Pietzsch-MacArthur complex in that whole end of
town.
I am referring to specifically these two considerations:
- Middle schools: Close (thank goodness not demolish) South
Park Middle School. Expand and upgrade Odom Academy and King Middle School
to accommodate South Park students.
- New school at Blanchette Elementary, combined with Bingman
Elementary.
The locations of all these alternate schools are across the
Avenue A extension. The entirety of the South Park area of town is not
even geographically close to those now considered
alternative schools. To have one elementary school only available
for convenient access for all residents of SP is an atrocious
plan.
I cannot believe that SPMS repairs would cost more than what
is proposed to improve Odom and King MS's to accommodate the students, in
addition the expense of transporting these students to and from school.
Perhaps different contractors and bids would be prudent.
Dr. Teuscher mentioned to a fellow alumni that there
were too few students at SPMS. Well, if that's the case, then why? Why
the huge Pietzsch-MacArthur complex for elementary kids? There must be a big
number of kids going there - right? They would be eligible for
SPMS. Realizing I am not looking at numbers, but assuming
that complex also is not close to capacity, please consider the option
of combining both elementary and MS grades and make SPMS a high
school again for the SP end of town! -- as opposed to building a
new high school. Improving and expanding schools is
cheaper than building new schools. Let the kids who are
currently being basically bussed out of SP now attend schools in
their own neighborhood. This is a wonderful chance to allow South Park
to grow!!! As it is, it is dying.
Committee Principle No. 3 states:
Repair existing schools to acceptable standards equal
across the district.
"Equal" is a good operative word here, and please
consider to whom it would be acceptable to or close a
building(s) that may be repairable to continue to be used as a school,
thereby eliminating the need to export students and simultaneously preserving
a historical monument and institution.
Closing SPMS and Bingman will only allow them to sit there
and deteriorate and thereby put off the eventual decision of
demolition for a later date because their repair needs will only become
worse; and in the meantime become even more decay for
SP.
Many aspects of this plan seem simply wasteful,
haphazard, extravagant and even discriminatory toward the South end of town.
Thank you for hearing me out, Jessie, and you are certainly
free to share this with the committee.
I won't pass around your phone number. :)
Sherry Moyer Sharp