posted by Joe Polk at 1:20 AM /
Mt. Lebanon school officials have rebutted one board member's proposal to delay major renovations at the high school, saying conditions there require immediate action.
Last week, board member James Fraasch used his Web site to propose making only essential repairs and updates for $10 million to $15 million, setting aside money from a tax hike to pay for a new school in 2019 or 2020.
But Superintendent John Allison and board members Elaine Cappucci and Dan Remely said Fraasch's proposal needed further vetting before he made it public.
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_602434.html
Last week, board member James Fraasch used his Web site to propose making only essential repairs and updates for $10 million to $15 million, setting aside money from a tax hike to pay for a new school in 2019 or 2020.
But Superintendent John Allison and board members Elaine Cappucci and Dan Remely said Fraasch's proposal needed further vetting before he made it public.
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_602434.html
Labels: high school renovation, school board
2 Comments:
Hogwash.
Hogwash or not, the three people quoted by the Trib -- Superintendent Allison, Director Remely, and Director Capucci -- are conflating two issues that should be kept separate.
Issue one is whether Director Fraasch's proposal represents a viable line of inquiry. They challenge some of his assumptions, which they are entitled to do. This kind of discussion is a good hting.
Issue two is whether Director Fraasch's proposal should be aired publicly at this time, for public review, comment, and criticism. They seem to argue that the proposal should be "corrected" (by "our people") before the public can see it. That argument is pernicious and against the public interest.
The final decision regarding what to do with the high school will be made by the School Board as a whole, but the substance of the decision remains a question of *community* interest. No member of the community, including members of the School Board, should be denied the ability to propose or to critique renovation options *at any stage of the process.* No member of the community, including members of the School Board, should be criticized for participating in good faith in that process.
The School Board and the administration should not set themselves up as some special authority that can't be challenged by the citizens of Mt. Lebanon. Yet that is exactly what their comments in the Trib story, and Director Cappucci's comments in particular, suggest.
Try this hypothetical:
What if I, not a member of the School Board, adopted and proposed Director Fraasch's presentation and put it publicly on a website for public comment? Would I, too, be criticized by the School Board for publicly preempting their processes?
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