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Writers
and staff
Lincoln Daily News.com
601 Keokuk Street
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Letters
LCHS
does excellent job on fall play
10-16-00
To
the editor:
Congratulations
to Mrs. Carolyn Schrieber and the LCHS Fine Arts Department for an
outstanding job on the fall play, "I Never Saw Another
Butterfly." The students did an excellent job of portraying the
horrors of the Holocaust that children faced in the Terezin Jewish
ghetto. Allison Leonard was superb as Raja Englanderova, a survivor
of Terezin. Kyle Pepperell and Julie Wood also delivered memorable
performances. We can be proud of the fine drama talent we have at
LCHS.
Jan
Schumacher
Lincoln
Correction
on Mesner vote
10-14-00
Dear
Editor,
Regarding your article, "Council
Still Seeking Leaf Disposal Solution". Yes, Chairman Shelton
and Alderman Fuhrer did vote yes, but the two Aldermen that voted no
were Patrick Madigan and Michael Montcalm, not Steve Mesner.
Just to keep things straight...
Debbie Mesner
[to
top of second column]
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Board
member explains his decision
for two new schools
10-18-00
To
the editor:
On
Tue. Nov. 7th, the voters of Lincoln will be asked to
vote yes and build 2 new schools and receive $8+ million from the
State of Illinois. A no vote simply means the voters want nothing
done to the schools. Renovation is not an option on this ballot.
The question is simple. But there has been so much misinformation,
"disinformation" and downright untruths, that the issue
is becoming unnecessarily complicated.
As
a school board member, I am guided in my decisions by three main
principles. First, is the decision in the best educational
interest of the children, their welfare, and safety. Second, does
the decision give the teachers the materials and support they need
in order to carry out the job which the administration and board
has tasked them to do. And third, is this the best use of our tax
dollars. I try very hard not to be penny wise and dollar foolish.
And in my opinion, one should not be on a school board if his or
her priorities lie elsewhere. They should simply be on a different
board.
Now
how did I come to the conclusion that Lincoln should have two
brand new schools? Well, contrary to some rumors, my decision was
not made in haste. Although I made my decision almost a year ago,
the district challenges have been increasing much longer than
that. It should be understood that this is a solution for the
whole district, not just one or two schools. To me this is not an
issue about whether to save a building or not. This is an issue
about what needs to be done for the future in the most cost
effective manner without throwing away our hard earned tax
dollars.
Central,
Washington-Monroe, and Northwest Schools are over crowded,
severely in some instances. The reason is not that there has been
an influx of students, but there has been an increase in programs
as a result of student needs. So to ask for some sort of
demographic study is to be totally ignorant of the cause of the
problem and merely a diversion. Labs are held in janitor closets,
small classrooms set up in the halls, sick kids are on benches in
the hallway because there is no other place. Should we undertake
more building projects to increase the size of the
Washington-Monroe and Northwest? Is that the wisest use of our tax
dollars? Can we find some other way to satisfactorily and more
economically resolve this problem? I think so.
When
a new larger junior high is constructed, it will serve as a middle
school. This means that 6th graders will be there also.
Since many 6th graders already go to the jr. high for
band, sports, etc., it will be much more convenient to have them
all there. This frees up 2 classrooms each at Washington-Monroe
and Northwest. These can be changed at minimal expense to help the
overcrowding situation without new more costly construction to add
onto the buildings. The construction of a new larger Central
school will help with the overcrowded situation there.
And
what happens to poor old Central school? Some of us have a lot of
fond memories and not so fond memories of attending there. I went
all 9 years there before attending the "new high
school", my kids went there, and my wife has taught there 14
years. The front looks good to some and ugly to others, just like
a Picasso. But that is just a matter of opinion and not fact.
Inside is a different matter. It is becoming unsafe as well as
impractical for the way we teach today as opposed to 85 years ago.
Walls are separating from floors, so much so that books can be
dropped down these cracks to wherever. Plaster has fallen from the
14 feet high ceilings and the suspended replacement ones have
collapsed from water leakage. Floors have become so sunken that
pillars have been temporarily put beneath them and furniture moved
to the perimeter of the room. The bookshelves around the room must
be shimmed because they lean so much the books fall off. No more
electrical service can be installed because the maximum limit has
been reached. The basement wall in the gym is bowed considerably
and it is believed this is what is causing the building to twist
slightly. This results in constant roof repair to fix leaks in the
flat roof. The boiler was installed for old Central school which
faced 7th street and was constructed in 1870. (not long
after the civil war) When new central was built in 1915, the
boiler was directed into it and old central torn down. Can all of
this be fixed, absolutely. Can it be done economically, not a
chance. This is major reconstruction. This is lead paint
abatement, which is very expensive. And this does not even
consider all the structural changes that would necessarily have to
be made for handicap accessibility as well as safe entrances. If
all of this work were to be done, the building would not even look
the same. And we would still wind up with antiquated buildings
that do not meet current needs much less those of the future.
Well, so what? We have saved a building! The kids, that’s so
what.
Where
do the kids go for a year or two for school while Central would be
worked on? They could certainly not remain in the building during
such a massive undertaking. Perhaps we could convince all the moms
to home school them for a year or two! Or better yet, let dad stay
home and do it. We learned from the fire experience at Jefferson
just how chaotic and disruptive to education that relocation is,
even on a small scale. The only viable option the board has is to
put temporary classrooms on Ralph Gale Field. The cost to the
taxpayers alone is more than a half million dollars. Is it worth
it? No, not for my money it is not. Central has many kids with
special needs and special classes. Try to imagine for a moment how
or where lunch would be handled or dispensing medication or
emergencies that arise all from a bunch of temporary facilities on
the ball field. In my opinion it is nothing sort of criminal
neglect or child abuse to willingly and needlessly subject
children to such unnecessary conditions. Obviously, the ball field
would be out of use for several years and since there are sink
holes on it, I am not too sure as to how many temporary classrooms
could be put there anyway.
The
state program to apply for building grants came at the most
opportune time for we certainly will have to address the problems
at Central within a few short years. Life safety inspection by the
state occurs in 3 years and they will surely insist the building
be made safe and accessible. That work will all be done without
any vote from the public. Since it is life safety work, bonds will
be issued and the work done-whatever it costs. It will be
significant and totally at local taxpayers expense. But just as
important, one will still only wind up with a patched up school,
certainly nothing to be proud of going into the 21st
century. Therefore when I realized what could be had for much less
cost to us taxpayers as well as much less human cost to the kids
and teachers, I knew there was no way remodeling was even an
option.
As
far as the "expert" from Chicago coming to Lincoln to
tell us "hicks" just how the big city boys would do it,
I am not impressed. How arrogant for someone, who has not even set
foot in a building, to speak about what and how something should
be done. I have toured several renovated Chicago public schools,
not all of them of course. But I was not overwhelmed with what was
done. If I am not mistaken, they had no option in most cases to do
anything other than remodel. They simply did not have the option
to build new. While the schools appeared adequate for now, they
did not serve as a model to me as something to which I would
aspire for the future. The school layout and classrooms simply had
to conform to the old structure rather than a new structure
conforming for the needs of today and future flexibility. I have
had the opportunity to investigate many, many schools, and not
just in Illinois nor just in the United States. In addition, each
year the district #27 School Board attends the School Board
Convention in Chicago. There we are afforded the opportunity to
tour Chicago public schools as well as meet with school board
members from the entire state to hear their problems and solutions
to them. To suggest that I am clueless about the differences
between renovated and new schools and have no point of reference
is just to be ignorantly biased.
We
have received a state grant to build 2 new schools with the state
funding about $8 million of the $12 million total cost, or about
2/3. This is what the grant approval is about, nothing more and
nothing less. There is not grant approval for any type of
remodeling plans. If Lincoln does not wish to go ahead with the
project, the next district on the list gets its share and so on
down the list. We are about 33 on the State approved list of about
147. The funding for these projects is approved by the legislature
for 2 more years. That is One more year beyond our expected date
of receipt in July, 2001. There are many more schools in line
after us. The money is not endlessly available in some sort of
Santa Claus fashion whenever we want it. Will the state
legislature fund more sometime in the future? Since this is
election time, would you count on there not being other projects
they deem more worthy of funding? Would you take a chance if it
were your money? Does anyone really know? "A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush!"
The
decision made at the ballot box will reflect on the people of
Lincoln and their values. What is really more important to them-an
old building or the education of future generations of kids in
Lincoln?
Jim
Wilmert
Lincoln
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Lincoln Daily News
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Lincoln, IL 62656
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