Dear Editor:
I am baffled by the building drawings produced by JCPS as they ask for $130,000,000.
I was expecting blueprints and details that would show me a true plan of action on the part of the district and that the two schools would be fair and equal. As someone who lives on the East End, I have several concerns.
When I look at these drawings, I see little change in JCHS. It looks like maintenance with a little renovation tacked onto it. Adding a commons area and new gym are not expenses directly related to academics. With our district having some of the lowest test scores in the area, why aren't there major renovations that would help with academics?
Both grandparents and parents want all children to be in a building that provides equal educational opportunities. I have sadly watched as dozens of families and friends pulled their roots up from Jefferson City and moved to areas like Wardsville to attend Blair Oaks. Will the same thing happen as people leave the East End high school to head to the new and better West End building? Citizens on the East side of Jefferson City have watched East Elementary get passed over by the board time after time. I see this as a clear example of what the BOE could do to us on the East end of town again, and it worries me! Will our property values decrease going forward?
I am voting no on the bond and tax levy because the district needs to show me the blueprints and the details that prove that their plans include equal high schools!
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