Letters

Project and process

In light of the most recent failure to pass the Oakesdale School District bond issue, it seems appropriate at this time to have a candid and unemotional discussion of both project and process.

To summarize, the District has attempted to pass a school bond issue three times in the last few years, and it has failed each time. Two of the three rejections have occurred in 2014, once in February and once in April. The April project called for a new elementary school and some high school renovations. The February project called for major renovations to the high school as well as some elementary school renovations and some new construction. The April project received less yes votes than the February project. The following discussion reflects a possible way forward for the School District.

First, many voters simply believe that the local share costs are too high for the current enrollment levels. The April proposal represented less than a 1% reduction from the February proposal i.e. a $60,000 reduction on a $7,160,000 base. The local share needs to be reduced significantly to give the cost sensitive no voters a reason to reconsider.

Second, the District’s operating budget needs to be scrutinized.

Data from the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website for the school year 2011-2012 reported a total District expenditure of $2,406,000.

Based on data sent out by the School District prior to the February, 2014, operating levy vote, the 2014-2015 total expenditure is budgeted at $3,135,000.

This represents a 30% increase over a 3-year period.

Inflation is estimated to be 6.3% total for this period.

In other words, expenditures are budgeted to increase almost five times the rate of inflation for the 2011-2012 to 2014-2015 period.

The School Board and the Superintendent need to address this issue.

One explanation may be that the District is planning to add several programs during the 2014-2015 school year including an ag curriculum for middle and high school, FFA, Cornerstone College in the Classroom, and an elementary multi-age, multi-grade level program.

In addition, starting in 2015, they intend to start a satellite skill center serving Whitman County, an ag mechanics program, and expansion of the Cornerstone program.

I expect that part of the reasoning behind all of this expansion is to retain current students and to attract out-of-district students.

This will start a competition for students with other districts i.e.

the other districts will increase their expenditures to even the playing field.

This zero sum game will cost the taxpayer dearly.

This whole effort needs to be reviewed.

Third, I do not think that the District can survive without some type of sports affliation with other schools. You can not field varsity teams year in and year out with nine kids per grade. Using eighth graders on varsity football is not an answer. Serious athletes will leave Oakesdale for other schools. I do not know why the Tekoa-Rosalia relationship fell apart, but it is vital that it be fixed.

Fourth, the selection process that was used to select the current architect should be reviewed. This is not to impugn the reputation of the architect but rather as a check of the professionalism of the District. In addition, an independent and qualified consulting engineering firm should be retained to evaluate exactly what improvements need to be made. OSPI should also be consulted for ideas.

Lastly, there is an estrangement between Farmington and the Oakesdale School District. Farmington’s two precincts voted 22% in favor of the bond issue in the February, 2014 vote. The February vote failed because of Farmington, pure and simple. Something needs to be done to assuage Farmington’s concerns. Farmington voters must also realize that they have an obligaton, since they are part of the School District, to review ballot proposals fairly.

Most everyone that I talk with realizes that something must be done to upgrade the physical plant in Oakesdale. The question is what plan would satisfy at least 60% of the voting public. I suggest that the School Board take a minimum of one year to think things over. I also suggest that they appoint an advisory committee to not only help them formulate a new plan but to help sell it when the time comes. This committee should be comprised of people who have relevant project experience.

Any plan should be compatible with eventual academic consolidation with other schools districts for K-12 or middle and high school consolidation. The cost savings would be significant and the academic synergism in the classroom would be enhanced. I realize that there is much hostility to consolidation but the idea should be given a fair review.

Ron Dugan,

Farmington

Airport Security

In last week’s editorial you state that some of the news stories are “inexplicable.” Not quite so!

I’m referring to the one about the boy who obtained a free ride to Hawaii in the wheel well of an airplane. Everyone seems to be puzzled as to how he pulled this off! How he could enter the airport property, crawl over a fence, walk across the tarmac to a plane, and crawl up into the plane’s wheel well without being detected by security guards or the watchful eyes of security cameras!

If you have watched the news for the last several months, you will remember the many camera films that showed us security people rifling through luggage for something to steal, removing diapers from babies as they search for contraband, (although the ‘bomb’ they may find there will probably not be the type they are looking for), or spending their breaks in the area where a guard checks the bodies of the screened passengers going through body X-Ray machines, comparing sizes, physical attributes, and other human features, as a mode of entertainment.

Naturally, the ‘security experts’ are scratching their heads as they fall back on that old, reliable method of “Just play dumb, and they’ll never know!”

Webster’s dictionary defines the word ‘inexplicable’ as ‘Incapable of being explained, interpreted or accounted for. I would say that our airport security is more grim.

Jerry Harnois,

Oaksdale