A band-aid or a real solution?

Friday, Mar 16, 2007 - 12:00 AM




Years of benign neglect have taken their toll on Wise County's six high schools ? an all-too-common occurrence around the region.

Fixing them won't be cheap. A recently unveiled plan to renovate them tops $109 million with a sizable chunk of the costs coming from critical upgrades to electrical wiring, plumbing and heating-and-air-conditioning systems. Another portion of the work is required to bring the schools into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Wise County cannot afford to fund the whole package. Neither can it allow its students to continue to attend substandard facilities. A third way exists: Closing some schools and focusing resources on those that remain open.

This third way won't be popular, but it might be the only avenue to reach the goal of top-notch, modern schools. Consolidation needs to be discussed, rather than preemptively taken off the table.

Yet, most Wise County leaders are dancing all around the topic. Only School Board member Betty Cornett publicly avowed interest in even broaching the subject. Other leaders made their opposition to consolidation clear, but didn't offer a different solution.

The $109 million proposal isn't loaded with frills. Most of the cost comes from the nuts-and-bolts fixes required to extend the life of 50- and 60-year-old buildings. Outfitting older buildings to meet modern technological needs, like high-speed internet, and to upgrade subpar electrical wiring, plumbing and heating and air conditioning systems is no small undertaking.

Because of its outright refusal to merge any schools, Wise County is preparing to renovate six high schools ? three of which have fewer than 300 students.

Can the county justify this cost? Can it find a way to fund it? This isn't clear.

In 2005, Wise County had 41,997 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is a slight increase from the 2000 census, but down from 56,000 around the time that many of these schools were built.

The median income in the county is about $28,000 a year, compared to $50,000 for the state as a whole. Slightly more than 19 percent of county residents live in poverty, and more than 13 percent are past retirement age. These aren't the sort of numbers that invite a large property tax increase to fund an ambitious school renovation plan, when an alternative exists.

We understand the downside of school closure. Schools are the hearts of their communities, especially in rural areas. Athletic pride plays a role, too.

Long bus rides to centrally located, consolidated campuses aren't ideal, either. And some of these tiny schools have solid academic track records. This debate isn't about the quality of teachers or students, but the quality of the facilities. In Wise County, those facilities are in an unacceptable state of repair.

So what to do?

The county must start by having an honest, frank discussion of options. Consolidation must be part of those talks, as should alternative educational approaches such as magnet schools. Renovating three or four schools to make them centers of excellence makes more sense than doing patch work at six schools. Don't just slap a band-aid on the problem.