WHAT GIVES : Going back to high school
Posted on Sunday, January 27, 2008
All I can say with certainty about the future of Fayetteville High School is that 2008 will be the year the community will see some decisions made.
If it’s not, we’ve got bigger problems than anyone has anticipated.
I’m comfortable with that prediction, however, because we’re only 27 days into the new year, leaving a lot of time available to make this very important decision for the future of Fayetteville’s students and the community as a whole.
As a new committee of parents, teachers, business leaders and others begin a process to evaluate the next step to take — primarily focused on the best location for a high school — it’s critical that the group evaluate its decisions within the complexities of the real world, not a narrow perspective predetermined by prior decisions.
For example, if this group decides to stay at the current FHS location, maintaining the school board’s prior commitment to add a ninth-grade center to the high school is illadvised, to put it mildly. Adding several hundred students to an already overcrowded landlocked location doesn’t make sense. A new location makes that a strong possibility.
Decisions simply cannot happen in a vacuum. One cannot consider keeping the current location without factoring in the danger to students that on-site construction while school is in session will present. A decision to stay put will demand finding a solution that protects the students and makes it possible for them to have a decent educational environment while surrounded by a hard-hat area.
One also cannot consider location without some discussion about the impact that will have on the millage increase voters will be asked to consider. And that demands a discussion about whether the existing location can be sold, and the most logical buyer, of course, is the University of Arkansas.
I’m convinced a deal can be worked out with the University of Arkansas if the school district actually makes the decision to sell. Just look at the interest shown at the Board of Trustees meeting Friday. The leadership at the UA has to know that getting 40 acres adjacent to its campus is a rare opportunity, and they have to know working together with the leadership of the school system to create a winwin scenario will ultimately be a good investment for the university.
How so ? It’s not just about more acreage, although that’s a pretty strong point. One must also keep in mind that the UA is Fayetteville’s largest employer, and the top-notch, cutting-edge professors and graduate students the UA wants to continue attracting often bring children with them. These knowledgeable folks don’t spend all their time on campus with their heads in the books. They have families and they want their families’ experiences here to be good, too.
When one has kids, the facilities offered by the public school system matters a great deal to the quality-of-life equation, and that’s especially true for the academic types who understand the importance of a great educational foundation for their kids’ futures. Will Fayetteville’s high school be a hindrance or a help in recruiting folks to come live and work here ?
And for those concerned more about athletic issues: Those high-profile coaches (and their assistants ) the UA wants to attract when there is a vacancy often have kids in junior high or high school. It’s not unusual for them or their spouses to visit the local schools to check them out. While academic performance and teacher quality are key concerns, certainly the conditions of the physical structures either help or hurt in that recruitment process.
And, of course, one can’t ignore the importance of a topnotch high school when it comes to economic development and the ability of local companies to attract new employees to our city. I’ve heard stories from more than one corporate leader about not really wanting to drive potential candidates by the existing high school. What’s our best way to position Fayetteville for a better future in this regard ?
Whatever comes to pass, it’s crucial for everyone involved to recognize that this is a critical decision in the life of the community. A millage defeat will set the school district back several years, delaying an ultimate resolution of an issue that needs resolution soon. Once a decision is made, it will still take four or five years before a new school will open.
That’s why the work of this committee is so important. The leadership of the district has chosen a behind-closeddoors approach for deliberations of the committee — something that is difficult to swallow for anyone who believes the public is best served by decisions reached in public — I remain hopeful that the committee’s work will include a host of opportunities for the public’s input and true discussion among the public and the decision-makers. Without it, they will have failed in what I view to be one of their most important missions — building some consensus.
Do I expect everyone to agree ? Hey, it’s Fayetteville. I’m not that gullible. But the committee has to have as a goal the shaping of a plan that serves our local students best and to which most of the public — more importantly, most of the voters — will be able to give their support and their money.
Greg Harton is executive editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times. His column appears on Sundays.
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