Letters to the Editor about new Eureka Springs high school vote

On Feb. 9, the patrons of the Eureka Springs School District will have the opportunity to vote to build a new high school complex that will be located along Lake Lucerne Road and behind the middle school.

This decision will be of great importance to the entire area of Carroll County and a positive vote will have the potential to improve the lives of our citizens. Students of Eureka Springs are recognized statewide and in some instances nationwide for their accomplishments. They compete at a very high level with students in most of the larger and more affluent schools throughout the state.

Our Skills Trades students win state competitions every year and then compete at the national level in Kansas City. Our EAST students also win the top awards at the state level and compete well nationally, and our business students have also won state awards for Web site design. Students score above the state average on state mandated Benchmark and End of Course Exams every year.

Our art and music students are now participating in contests and bringing home top awards as well. This indicates that we have a strong curriculum in place and that our teachers and students achieve at a high level. Our elementary and middle school facilities are in good condition and provide a comfortable learning environment for our children. The missing element is the high school facility.

A new facility will provide a safe, secure and pleasant learning environment for our children. Studies have shown that students tend to learn at a higher level when they feel comfortable and safe with their surroundings and their buildings meet their learning needs. The proposed high school on the new site will address the needs of a modern educational facility and will further improve the education of our deserving children.

The question on the ballot will ask you to vote for or against the tax. The district is asking for a 1.98 mill increase in taxes to pay for this project. This will increase taxes on property that has an appraised value of $50,000 by $1.65 per month and $3.30 per month on property appraised at $100,000.

With the current downturn in the economy, this isn't a good time to ask for a tax increase, not that there is ever a really good time to do that. The reason for wanting to build a new high school at this time is that construction costs are at a low point and interest rates are relatively low making this project more affordable. $500,000 in federal stimulus funds can also be used toward this building project if spent before the end of 2011. I hope that we can take advantage of this window of opportunity to complete this much-needed facility for our children.

This new facility is estimated to cost around $10,600,000 to complete. This price includes all site work, buildings, and furnishings. This cost will be financed by issuing bonds that will be paid back over a thirty-year period from funds received from the tax increase and from funds generated from refinancing a bond issue that the district used to finance the middle school building. These bonds will be bid and the sale will go to the financial institution that gives the district the lowest interest rate. The total amount of the bond issue will be $13,300,000 which includes the estimated cost of the new high school, the refinancing of the existing bond, and fees associated with financing. Every part of the building project will be competitively bid with the award going to lowest qualified bidder. The project will be advertised and bid publicly according to state requirements. Construction managers with Kinco Constructors, LLC will handle the bidding process.

Please consider this vote on Feb. 9 as a vote to improve the educational facilities for our children. This new campus will provide our students with a modern educational environment that will be designed for the rigorous learning requirements of the 21st century.

Academics, the arts and humanities, technology, college, vocational, and career preparation, physical, mental, social and emotional issues will all be addressed in building this campus for our students. This facility will have so much to offer the students who enter the doors to Eureka Springs High School. Our children need and deserve a learning environment that is designed with their learning needs in mind. These are our children, our school, our community, and our future. Now is the time to invest in our future.

Early voting will take place at the courthouses in Eureka Springs and Berryville on Feb. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Election day is Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Eureka Inn Best Western located at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 62 West and Ark. Hwy. 23 North. Polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is a pivotal decision for our community and our future. For more information please call the superintendent's office at (479) 253-5999 or visit our Web site at www.eshsmasterplan.com.

Eureka Springs School Superintendent Wayne Carr

New facility does not equate to quality

Editor:

Having attended an informal meeting of the proposed school bond issue for Eureka Springs School District, and digesting several of the written articles pertaining to this issue, I wish to make several observations.

Frankly, I am ambivalent to the overall merit of the proposal. It would appear that there is sufficient justification for replacing the current structure. The reasons that have been set forth seem quite logical, and therefore meritorious in the context of the request.

There does however seem to be a definite lack of the same logic when applied to the rationale for the request for an increase in the millage rate for a new facility. I submit, to the voters of the district, that the overall goal should be an enhancement of the quality of educational endeavors of the district.

Certainly a new and better facility would be a factor, but that in itself will not automatically result in an enhanced curriculum. Yet to my knowledge, little, if any information has been forthcoming on how this project will raise the educational level of the district.

What factors are being addressed to increase or to enhance the curriculum? If they are, how are they being addressed in this proposal? A new facility does not equate directly to a quality education.

There are far too many unanswered and unaddressed areas pertaining to the internal (curriculum) needs of the district that should be foremost in the information on this project. Moreover, there appears to be certain vagueness as to the disposal of the current facility and site. Questions such as: "What is the current market value of the building and site?" "How will the site be disposed of?" "Will revenue from the site sale be used to offset the cost of the new building?" etc., etc, etc. From what I've been able to understand, the solution seems to be, "we'll cross that bridge later."

Additionally, I am very concerned about the proposed price tag of $10.6 million dollars. It has been stated that this is a "world class facility" (not my words - see local media articles) for now and the future.

My question to the patrons of the district is: "Do we need a world class facility?" Seems logical and reasonable, that a "good" facility would meet the present and future needs. I do not wish to dwell on this point, except to point out that I am afraid this is the mindset of the people advocating the issue. Therefore, the patrons are being asked to approve a $10.6 million dollar building. It seems to me that a better process would be to go back to the beginning, design a less costly building, with several options for consideration, submit those proposals for evaluation, then build in the best options, and recommend a completed proposal for approval.

There are far too many factors that seemingly have not been addressed thus far. Lastly, but not the final concern, is the seeming urgency of making sure the district avail itself of the $500,000 in stimulus money.

While it is a goodly sum, I do not see that as sufficient reason to move ahead on the project at this time. The patrons need to keep in mind that we are being asked to put up $10.1 million ($500,000 stimulus and $50,000School Construction Fund used to affect the figure of $10.6 million) in the final analysis. I believe we need a new facility, but at what cost? And more importantly - how will it improve the quality of the current curriculum?

Nicholas Roster

Holiday Island

To the Editor:

My name is Kathy Remenar, and I have had the distinct privilege of teaching in the same classroom in the Eureka Spring School High School for 33 years. This makes me something of a dinosaur, but it also gives me a rather unique perspective concerning the building, its condition, and its suitability as a learning environment for our children.

We have had many remarkable students graduate from our school; they have gone on to institutions across the United States and into foreign countries. They have become successful, productive members of this and other communities. Were they damaged irreparably by the leaks in the roof, the tiles coming up in the floor, the lack of space for art and music, the need to be confined to overcrowded halls if it rained or was too cold? Probably not, but they deserved much better, and so do the kids that we have right now.

I realize that environment is not everything, that learning can take place in cardboard box, but what do we tell our children about the value that we put on education if we allow their learning environment to sink to dangerous levels of neglect and deterioration? The high school building long ago outlived its usefulness; it was poorly designed. I have survived three roof replacements and untold numbers of repairs. My ceiling tiles still fill with water every time we get a heavy rain. We still violate safety codes, and we still do not have any space for our students to gather when the sun and/or the temperature do not cooperate.

We do not have to bankrupt our community to build an environmentally friendly, academically/artistically suitable structure. We need good planning and sound leadership, and I think that we have it. Kids should look forward to coming to the high school; it's an exciting time. We need to provide them with a facility that doesn't require an apology. Besides, I need a new classroom for my next 33 years.

Kathy Remenar

Eureka Springs

Dear Editor,

Why a new high school building? Why now? After all, the current high school works well enough and has for 52 years.

"Studies about student academic achievement and building condition conclude that the quality of the physical environment significantly affect student achievement. 'There is sufficient research to state without equivocation that the building in which students spend a good deal of their time learning does in fact influence how well they learn,'" according to GI Earthman (2004) quoted by the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

This is my third year teaching at the high school. Returning to the public school classroom in Eureka Springs after twenty years was a bit of a shock.

My previous job required that I travel from school to school in northwest Arkansas. The attractive, technologically ready, well-insulated, spacious and well-lighted classrooms I experienced in these various locations were not what I encountered upon arriving at Eureka Springs High.

I was further shocked to find out that the floors were made of asbestos. Floor tiles would come loose, many were and still are cracked or broken. I worry about the possibility of added risks for cancer, although I have been assured they are 'sealed.'

The two electrical outlets in my room are not grounded and often require the use of extension cords. This is far less safe than properly grounded and well-spaced electrical outlets would be.

My windows look out over a public street and a very active rental property. At times the music from cars across the street makes it impossible to carry on class, as our single-pane windows rattle away. I have to cover the windows with paper to limit the amount of light as I use audio-visual equipment. I also have them covered to keep students from being distracted by the constant stream of activity going on across the street.

One of the first things that I requested was an inside handle for my classroom door so I could close and lock the door in case of an emergency lockdown. My door still opens directly to the outside and lacks a window to see who might be about to enter. Anyone can walk into my room at any time. Since this is also the only exit, it must remain unlocked. There is nothing 'safe' about this.

Air quality, temperature, lighting, noise level, asbestos free, flexible, safe and secure are factors that have been studied and shown to be solid contributors to student learning.

Over fifty years ago, citizens invested in a modern facility to meet the needs of those students. Today those needs have changed. Infrastructure demands are different, needs for safety and security have increased. Fifty years later our students need a school that provides a physical learning environment that facilitates learning, rather than one where we must overcome our surroundings.

We've gotten a great return on the investment of 50 years ago. The small increase in the tax base will give a great return on investment. Please vote for the new high school.

Jerry RunnerSmith

Eureka Springs

To the Editor:

I am simply amazed at the level of misinformation and ignorance regarding the proposed millage increase to build a new high school facility here in Eureka Springs. Without doubt, the current facilities are woefully inadequate, unsafe, and a reflection of too many people's failure to understand the need for education as a component of societal infrastructure. Points that need clarification are:

* The City of Eureka Springs does not own the school, nor does it have any function in school management. The name, "Eureka Springs Public Schools" is only a name for the entity, which in fact, is completely separate from the city government of Eureka Springs. Therefore, the city cannot fund the expansion using "bond" funds as some have suggested.

* There are some people, including some elected officials, who can only see the financial side of the proposal from their personal perspective. A school, like a water supply / wastewater system, fire protection and EMS system, law enforcement organization, is infrastructure. It creates value to a community and attracts responsible, educated families to the area. Educated parents understand that their child's education begins at home; therefore, their children are better prepared to learn once they reach school age.

* Attracting responsible, educated families yields much to the entrepreneurial foundation of the City, which in turn, adds value and increases wealth. The children of these families are more likely to do well in school and go on to higher education, thus continuing the positive economic cycle of society.

I admonish those of you who are considering voting no in this election to reconsider. Should the district loose the election, it will only cost more in the long run. Pay now, or pay later with interest.

Marti Suchsland

Eureka Springs

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -- George Santayana

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

-- Derek Bok