When The Doors Close

[imported_Sportsman]

[ QUOTE ]
The cost of consolidation could be as much or more as renovating the old schools. If so it would be senseless.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems like that would make an argument for consolidation. If it costs as much to renovate as it does to build new buildings, I'd much rather have a new building.

[imported_elp6n]

I'd much rather have bigger, better.
Why spend the same amount to fix up an old building to "usable, it will do for another 10 years" condition when with the same money you could start over fresh with "state of the art."

[swvacsas]

Construction of new schools when the old can be renovated serves only to create a new building which has neither substance nor soul. It resembles a wasteful consumer who throws away a perfectly good coat because it is out of style. It destroys the soul of a smaller community and creates a building without moorings in at least one of the communities it should serve.
If technological advancement can be secured by keeping what is tried and true- it is far better to do such a thing than jump into educational fads. Does anyone remember the open classroom? Having personal experience with large educational settings and having family members and spouses teaching in large consolidated high schools- I cannot equate bigger with better. Any entity- educational or otherwise- which aspires to bigness should be instinctively distrusted.

[Unchained]

When you walk through a building and see obvious structural problems, such as huge cracks in the wall, wiring where you cannot use computer labs..etc, the realization dawns on you that it is ludricous to attempt to rennovate. If you have a raging river and the dam has a hole, and you choose to put duct tape over it, some people are going to drown. If we shuck out money on this 10 year fix or so only to have to do it again, then we are fools. Thinking with your heart instead of your head can sometimes be the enemy of progress.

[swvacsas]

I do not think the prroposed renovations at the smaller schools will be a ten year fix- they could be refurbished to last for some time. Granted, the last consolidation plan bounced around in Wise County would have led to new schools in Wise and Big Stone Gap- but that would in no way help the smaller towns losing their schools. The economic effects of high school closure in Appalachia and Pound would be devastating- the trade-off would be utterly one sided. I do not believe a student in Pound would benefit one iota by being tranported to a larger school in Wise. The educational basics can be imparted to pupils just as well in the current environment. Indeed the proposed enhancement of course offerings by Mr. Basham bordered on the ludicrous.

[Unchained]

I am a firm believer that there needs to be an extensive, thorough study (one that is done right) into the pros vs cons of consolidation. I also know that our schools aren't 10 years old, not 20, not 30, but between 50-60. Given the ages of these schools, rennovation would indeed be a short-term solution. If you own a business, and see that you have been there 60 years, see the shape your building is in, and you have the opportunity to build a new SAFE building, and you see that times are changing, that the world is indeed progressing, new technology...etc, then you build the building. So it is with our children's education. This is 2006, not 1956. It is up to us as parents who want our children to have the chance in this modern, very competitive world to take advantage of what is available for them. Readin' Writin' and Rythmatic are well and good, but when little junior hits the world and moves away from here to go to college, knowing that his chances have been upgraded by his now-expanded curriculum/programs/opportunities just may be a comfort. As for the economics in these small towns like Pound and Appy where money is tight, are we to expect to squeeze blood out of the turnip, draining their pockets, knowing that their children will have to turn around and repeat the process later on. Why not pay for it once?

Great debate material though-really enjoy that. Bottom line is that we both could spend hours giving good, valid points both ways, and for the record if I thought there was a feasible way to keep my beloved school open in good shape, I would be doing the Toyota jump.

We could talk about it forever, but it is inevitable, and when it comes (not if-when), it is my sincere hope that for the sake of our children that we can keep an open mind, and go into the transition wanting to make it work.

[LoneCrusader]

It is my firm belief that the "structural problems" and other supposed problems with our schools that everyone keeps talking about have been extremely exaggerated. I believe most of it is nothing but propaganda generated by the Basham administration and the pro-consolidation forces in the county to scare everyone into supporting new construction. It's all a load of hogwash. I know these things because I graduated from Pound in 2002. There are no major problems with Pound's High School.

Most of the things that could be pointed out as "wrong" with our schools are purely cosmetic, not structural. And, somewhat like swvacsas stated earlier, "if" and I repeat "if" our schools are in such bad shape, then why are they so? Obviously that is due to neglect or oversight. There are many examples of much older school buildings than our own that are still in use today.

The smaller communities in this area are devastated enough these days with so many younger people moving away for various reasons. The last thing that needs to happen is for them to lose their schools. The small schools represent something that a community can rally around, something that remains uniquely their own.

It all comes down to this... If it's not broke, dont fix it. Our small schools serve us well. The buildings can be fixed and maintained for many years to come for a price comprable to what it would cost to build new schools. And when you can fix something that is old, I think that you will find that it is many times better than anything new that you could build. Notwithstanding the nostalgia, tradition, and community identity that can be preserved.

And, on a final note... to all the people out there who keep complaining about how much it will cost to fix these schools... Its time you stopped worrying about your pocketbooks and started worrying about what is best for the students of the schools and the people of the communities that would lose their schools if consolidation were to happen. It's easy to support consolidation, say, if you live in Wise, or in Big Stone Gap, because you know that no matter what, your school, or at least a school in your town, will survive. Put yourselves in the shoes of someone in Appy or Pound. Then its not so appealing, is it?

If Wise County is inevitablty headed for consolidation, then like was said before.. Appy and Pound would be better off out of Wise County.

[Shoe]

If three schools were to be built how would they determine which gets built first? Would three schools be built at once or would it be one school at a time?

Ex: Wise East 2008 then Wise West 2009, Wise South 2010 or Wise East, West, and South 2008....

[imported_Counts]

Good question I would assume that it would be done one at a time. Wise being the county seat would probably be a good place to start

[imported_lee_fan]

Lee High was built because of a projected drop in enrollment. When it opened it had 1250 students. Now it had 800, and would be much lower had the federal prison not been built. Keokee had a graduating class of about 12 seniors each year, and Flatwoods had about 20. Dryden was a little bigger, but not much. If those three schools were still around, and had lost one third of their students as Lee High has, it would be insane to keep them open. If you want to know if consolidation is enevitable in Wise County, all you have to do is look at the numbers in the elementary schools. If the enrollment at the high schools is going to keep dropping, the you may as well start making some sort of plan. By the way, I keep reading comments implying that Lee High is some sort of failure because of consolidation. There is a lot that is right with Lee High, and although there are some negatives associated with consolidation and it could have been handled differently, it was inevitable.