Dear Editor:
I am writing in support of Ballot Issue 5A to fund the construction of a new PK-8th grade school for our children, teachers, and community. Previous letters to the editor of this paper have addressed some of the educational and financial arguments for why all of us in this community should support 5A. If readers still have questions, I urge you to visit www.CitizensForASD.org for more information.
I want to address an issue related to 5A that I am hearing about as I talk to people about the new school.
There are some in our community who support the idea of building a new school but have said they will not vote in favor of 5A because the downtown location was not chosen as the site for the new school. I understand the preference for building the school downtown. This would have been my preference, and it was a viewpoint for which I advocated. But we must recognize that there was a robust two-year process which resulted in the uptown location being chosen. This process involved community members, school district staff, and architectural professionals. This process included community discussion, technical analysis, and public input. This process culminated in the school board voting to select the uptown site as the location for the proposed new PK-8 school.
Having served on the school board from 2013-2020, I know from experience that executing this type of community process takes an enormous amount of effort, communication, and coordination—but it’s worth it. When done correctly, community processes such as the one done for 5A, yield authentic and reliable results that reflect community desires and support. I urge all voters to trust the process that our school district and community diligently executed and to vote in favor of 5A.
One last thought: A couple of years after the new school is built at the uptown site, it will seem perfectly normal to have a school in that location. The new school, and all its benefits, will be a source of pride in our community, and the fears about it not being downtown will be forgotten. Our children and our educators deserve a new school. Let’s trust the process and get it done for them.
Brooks Lindner
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