Letter to the Editor: Question need for visits to other schools

To the Editor:

C.C. Press article 2-28-17 regarding maintenance cost of $19 million to repair the current high school seems to indicate much neglect of repairs by present and former school superintendents and Board of Education members.

It’s also amazing that Mr. Dight feels he gets lost in the circles as he apparently made his way through the maze as I believe he was a C.C.C.H.S. graduate.

Just tell it like it is and forget the excuses — a new high school has been the plan all this time and is the reason that very little school maintenance has taken place for several years.  So now begins the touring of towns with new high schools and the same old “if we build it they will come” propaganda.  

Now as of the Wed., March 22, 2017 C.C. Press article, there will be out-of-state tours including San Diego? A Google search informs me that there are two San Diego cities, one in Calif. with over a million population and one in Texas with a population of 4,500, with the latter being more in tune with C. City’s population. Could someone inform us taxpayers of the purpose of traveling outside Iowa if these tours are indeed deemed necessary.

Dr. Cox stated that he wants photos, videos and info on useful or useless portions of buildings that the members note on their tours. This causes me to question the purpose of the “tree house” in the new Middle School building unless the curricula now includes that of arboriculture or forestry.

All we keep hearing is “21st century school” which if you really consider the 21st Century advancement in technology, that could mean an education eliminating the need for new school buildings and result in fewer teachers in the future.

When a high school student cannot count change back to me as a customer, I think some part of an education is missing and it isn’t found by building another new school.

Marilyn Scholle
Charles City