St. East - Let's get to work and fix East High

[Guest guest]

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intID=37077140

July 05, 2001

Let's get to work and fix East High

Fellow St. citizens, like it or not, it's time to pay the fiddler.

The problems at East High School go back to preconstruction and have been

compounded by ignorance, neglect, the lack of money and the lack of

interest. There is blame enough for everybody from the architects to the

inspectors, including the current board and parents.

I knew the school was dirty, did you? All of our older buildings are poorly

maintained and appear dirty. I never said anything about it, did you? I

never dreamed, however, that the buildings were dangerous, and I don't

think, with a few exceptions, anybody else did either.

Enough experts have been hired over the years to cover the butts of the

whole town, so give up trying to nail anybody with the blame. It just

doesn't matter anymore, and it doesn't matter how much it is going to cost

to clean it up either. We have to beg, borrow and tax this problem until its

solved.

Nobody can mess things up this badly for this long and expect to work the

solution into an existing budget. We are all going to have to pay and we are

going to have to do it for a long time. We have made big mistakes, and it is

going to cost big money.

I have voted for every school referendum and watched my taxes go up steadily

over the last 25 years to cover the cost of new schools and additions to

exiting schools to accommodate the influx of new people to the area.

I have put three children through what is now East High School, and I have

one more starting this fall. Some residents are moving out of the area and

others are just moving to be in the right area so their child can go to

North. That tells me they believe our district is hopelessly divided.

They don't want their kids being called the " Moldys " and going to school in

trailers. They want their kids to have a nice, clean place to get an

education just like those other kids we have been helping to support all

these years. So do I. The problem is, we need it now!

No more studies, no more name-calling and no more arguing. Get every

contractor you can find (preferably local people who will be accountable to

their community) and get them in those buildings and blitz this mess over

the next three months or so. Don't waste a lot of time on how much it is

going to cost either because, in the end, it still has to be done.

It took 25 years to make this mess, but maybe we can get it paid for in 10.

Our children will get an equal education with equal facilities like the

other half of the district, and I will still be here along with everybody

else paying it off. It's OK, though, because the kids are worth it.

Stop talking! Stop studying! Just get to work and get it done!

Pat Jensen

St.