PUBLIC VIEWPOINT Two Schools Better Than One

Fayetteville is such a good place to live and raise kids, it’s disheartening to see how poorly we’ve been led in regards to our high school.

1. The local school board/ administration sat idly by for years as FHS became terribly overcrowded with far too many students on such a small campus.

2. After such near-criminal inaction/malfeasance, we’re given an excessive and clearly wasteful plan for a record-setting $115 million school that could house up to 3,000 students (thankfully, soundly rejected by the voters).

3. Our school board/ administration now circumvents this democratic process by its request for $52.3 million in qualified school construction bond credits through the federal government’s stimulus fund - making “lemonade when you’re handed lemons,” as our superintendent said (I guess the voters are the lemons). These funds will now be used to do what the supporters of the giant school wanted all along: Expand FHS.

Now, remember that both Springdale and Rogers have built new high schools for less than the “renovations” to be made at FHS.

For less than $65 million, Springdale built a very nice, new high school (Har-Ber)and renovated old Springdale High. Why is Fayetteville so conspicuous in its consumption?

Why doesn’t democracy have any real implications on what we do as a city?

Anyone really interested in finding out what is best for our high school has easy access: Just get on the Internet. Multiple studies will show you why smaller schools (700 to 1,200) are better educational environments than the larger school pushed by our school board/administrators.

The benefits include more participation in extracurricular activities, lower dropout rates, more positive attitudes for students and teachers and improved academic performance.

Smaller high schools have been shown to be better for our kids.

Bigger schools have more “awesome” athletic teams.

Instead of choosing from 1,000 students, you get to choose from 2,000. This does create a better quality team, but leaves out many kids that would benefit from participation, and extra-curricular participation rates are one of the major components of an engaged student and thriving educational environment!

I think I see why no one on the school board/administration talks about two schools; it’s not the money, it’s the fact that we wouldmove down a level in our sports classification, and that power and control over educational matters would be less centralized. Not very good reasons in regards to educational quality, but seemingly just fine in a small town such as ours: Where the populace, after voting down the bond issue, is basically uncommitted to seeing through the people’s will in regards to a quality high school education, as the powerful few in positions of control (oligarchy) basically go back to doing what they please.

TX TRUMBO

Fayetteville MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS OLD My favorite Christmas song is “The Little Drummer Boy.” It brings me back 77 years. I was 4 years old and my sister was 7. I got a new red wagon and she got a big doll. This was in the heart of the Depression. Mother and Dad cut wood with a crosscut saw and hauled it five miles with a team and wagon for 75 cents to one dollar per rick. I am not a farmer but I was raised by one.

C.P. RAKES

Bentonville

Opinion, Pages 10 on 12/27/2009

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