As requested by FOSSE http://savesilverstreet.blogspot.com/ and others concerned about the possibility of elementary school closings within New Albany’s core neighborhoods I’m passing along the latest available information (available to me that is) concerning the process underway.
As per the Tribune, http://www.news-tribune.net/local/local_story_065141245.html
Resources for Results Committee is to hear public opinions in New Albany in April.
It appears that the committee’s recommendations that have been three years in the making will finally get a public airing beginning on April 2nd with two others to follow.
This will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Save Silver Street folks this upcoming Monday evening. Click on their link above for more details.
Albeit school closings have not been my primary focus of these past three years, I have attended several meeting where this topic was cussed & discussed.
It seems that the out of town hired guns have been viewed by the NA/FC administration as a god-send as they apparently didn’t have a clue as to where to begin.
Or more likely, they wanted no part of the hard decisions so they employed a fall guy.
The public’s perception seems to view them as Guido & Carlo, along with their violin cases being called down from the South Side to do the dirty work and the innocents be damned!
There are probably some elements of truth in all of the above.
My personal view is this. I don’t want to see any of the core schools closed. Our venue has always been to find & promote ways to reclaim our neighborhoods and downtown.
Regardless of the statistics that are so highly praised I think we are seeing that happen before our very eyes. That is unless we choose to turn a blind eye to it.
Although the numbers are not large we are indeed seeing families of child rearing age choosing New Albany proper as the place to purchase an older home, invest time money & energy into its restoration and send their children to the local neighborhood school.
As a matter of fact, if one asks they will more often than not tell you such proximity to a facility within walking distance played a determining role in their final decision.
So why would we even think of closing one or more of them? Once again, statistics have shown over the years the proposed advantages in terms of education and societal improvement have been nominal at best.
As have the monetary savings involved in the complex process created as a result.
Transportation costs have gone through the roof in the past few years and there is no end in sight.
The safety issues that come with bussing children are all but uncontrollable as well.
As a parent, the turmoil caused by bonds between teachers, friends, & community being broken during the elementary years is more drama than a child really needs.
So again, why do it? Well as with all things it comes down to politics and money. The two are inseparable.
Understand that what I’m about to say is not an outright condemnation of the well to do.
However I do find it interesting that as I currently understand it, few if any of the sitting school board members either live in New Albany’s core nor do they send their children to school here. The same is true of the administration as I’ve been told.
Nay they live either in the outer suburbs or “up on the hill” as we are so fond of calling it.
So does this imply that they are somehow less concerned for their children’s welfare than are we down here in the valley?
No it just means that like us in that they see only what is in their immediate line of sight. They are blessed with the where with all to provide the best in terms of amenities for their offspring and like us, they’ll try with all their might to do so.
So for those folks, spending $50 million on a facility at Floyd Knobs is doing just that. The fact that to continue on that path means less available funds for neighborhood schools in New Albany is of little consequence as they have no reference point of such.
All that being said, what is the solution?? Well there are probably many but I’m going to again point to one by way of a recent New Albany issue.
The NA Common Council at the last meeting passed an Adult Cabaret Ordinance to address the adult entertainment industry within our fair city.
Throughout the multi month process there were two powerful paid lobby groups present to deliberate the pros & cons.
One represented the owners & operators of such establishments albeit not as professionally as they would have hoped.
The other (ROCK) had their act together and came to the table expounding the horrors eminent to us should we allow such to proliferate in our midst.
As it turned out neither side really won or lost completely but the ROCK group showed us how an organized focus can accomplish a task.
We need to learn that lesson on a variety of fronts in this city.
It was suggested early on to the various groups involved in the school issue that it would behoove them to join forces and lobby to save all of the present facilities not just the one they could see from their kitchen window.
To my knowledge that never occurred. However with the upcoming public input meetings they have one last chance to influence the outcome. I hope they don’t sacrifice it for the sake of protecting their individual turfs!
Here are a few more links of interest about this issue. Read up and be prepared!
http://www.news-tribune.net/local/local_story_057132345.html
New Albany-Floyd County’s Resources for Results to host public hearings soon
http://www.news-tribune.net/letters/local_story_063183957.html
Reader expects school board members at Resources meetings
http://www.news-tribune.net/letters/local_story_050181058.html
Silver Street closure far from resolved
http://www.nafcs.k12.in.us/ NAFC Consolidated School Corporation
