Anyway, I'm gonna start referring to District 11 as a long-running soap opera...ala "The Young and the Restless" or "The Bold and the Beautiful" -- I'm going to call it "The Senseless and Expensive". So, just fyi.
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Day After Christmas School Closure Rant
in response to this Gazette story about Wasson
Wasson has everything, right in the very heart of our town; so lets ignore the assets working in its favor..such as *drumroll* THE FOOTBALL STADIUM, though really, it should be as plain as the nose on our faces. Honestly, I thought this city was crammed full of football loving fans: WHY ARE THE VOICES OF FOOTBALL FANS SO QUIET -- OR DOES FANTASY FOOTBALL HAVE YOU ALL SO DISTRACTED THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY?
I guess kids growing up in central Colorado Springs have no need for a stadium where they can practice mundane sports or march in the band, etc; ditto with using Berry stadium for events of such minor importance...like...say, for instance...HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT. When District 11's Class of '85 graduated, it went down at Berry stadium...outside under the summer sun and sky, and we all tossed up our caps in jubilat...ion; that was definitely way back in the day...because when my son graduated in 2010, the District rented out part of the World Arena instead, and tossing one's cap was verboten -- yeah, baby: ain't no party like a World Arena graduation party.
Our kids...graduating inside a big gray circle, while Berry stadium sits idle; yep, I'd call that under-utilization for sure -- just one example of many. No wonder the District has trouble balancing its ever-growing budget, no wonder they constantly experience money woes: despite all that fancy book-learnin', the District powers-that-be just can't seem to spend within their means, or wisely spend the vast stores of cash they already have on hand. But spend it, they do.
How much is the District claiming they will save by shutting down these schools? In 2009, they claimed they would save $3 Million: they shut down EIGHT schools to save $3 Million, friends -- a pittance that was gobbled up in an instant by the senseless and expensive West K-8 building retrofit...and ALL of it, to the detriment of the surrounding neighborhoods, I don't care how the District sugar-coats the re-utilization of those buildings.
How much, I wonder, has the District spent settling with the families impacted by Mann Middle School Safety Resource Officer Joshua Carrier? Rather than shutting down schools, maybe if our public schools had a return to common sense, kids would once again respect their teachers, schools, parents and selves...there'd be no need for School Safety Resource Officers, who could be re-purposed as Scout Masters...and just think of the oodles of hush money saved!
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