Citizens need to voice their opinions
Published 8:30 pm Monday, February 21, 2011
Despite the rumors in the street about the demise of any school in the Selma School System, the administration assures the public nothing has been decided.
That’s why it’s so important for the public to attend the second of these Town Hall meetings tonight at the School of Discovery.
The time investment is minimal, from 6 to 7 p.m.
But what is at stake is important because it determines the investment our school system makes in our children.
At issue is whether Byrd Elementary and the School of Discovery will be closed and their students sent to another school to save the system money.
At least one school board member, Holland Powell, said it matters not what the school system does, it will be broke by the end of the school year.
The closings would not become effective until 2013.
These proposed closures have people in various neighborhoods concerned about where their children will attend school.
Other people, especially in Old Town, worry about another vacant, historic building in a historic district. With the departure of Byrd Elementary, property values would dip. It would hurt this strong community.
Even some school board members have raised questions about the viability of closing down schools, as the system likely would have to purchase buses to transport children across district lines to other schools.
There are no easy answers for this situation. There are many questions and certainly many have thoughts about the situation.
Those thoughts need to be heard.
Attend these meetings.
Speak, if you have an idea. Many heads are much better than one.