“There is no more precious commodity than the relationship of trust and confidence a company has with its employees.” Trust and confidence: Starbuck’s Chairman Howard Schultz understood these foundational elements when he said these words. Our society certainly benefits from this company that keeps many cups full and our “on-the-go” society on the move; awake and coherent once more, we return to work or get ready for our commute home because (science aside) we trusted Starbucks to give us what we needed.
On another level, is this not what we expect to be engendered from our school system: trust and confidence? Education, surely, merits more consideration than daily coffee intake; after all, think of Plato who sat at the feet of Socrates in less than ideal conditions.
On Jan. 21, Middle Township Board of Education unveiled its plan for two bond proposals for Middle Township schools; combined, the costs totals $24,645,138.
Superintendent David Salvo said that the board had conducted a study for “critical facility and site needs.” As pointed out in a Feb. 18 article, “state aid would equal 40 percent of the annual debt service, according to a legal advertisement.”
Yet what changes are meriting the cost? Any consumer or patron, monetarily or otherwise, asks what they are getting with for the money. In this area, upgrades to windows, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and site drainage would impact Elementary No. 1; reported overcrowding in pre-K classrooms have resulted in a plan for a courtyard and inclusion classrooms. A special entrance for pre-K students as well as a gymnasium has also been proposed. In the academic mind, a safer and more efficient use of space leads to a more conducive environment for learning.
A more conducive environment for learning can be beneficial. But what about the families from where the students come? Life, with a growing trend toward “cutting back” and minimalism, also plays a role. Enrollment throughout the county has been in decline. The Board of Education asks for the voters’ trust, in their assessment that the requested improvements are necessary.
Reasons given are Elementary No. 2 requires a new transportation building, additional parking, storm water drainage system, skylight replacement, and major window replacement. At the Middle School and High School, the board wishes to extend the side entrance canopy to the parent drop-off area and upgrade the electrical work. Glass block windows in the gym and HVAC in the high school need replacing.
Now, after you have ordered a caramel latté and upgraded the size, you are asked if you want to add a shot of espresso. If the first proposal passes, the second bond proposal includes the athletic side of education, incorporating school and community. Refurbishing of fields, concession stand, playground, equipment, and a storage facility scores at a $1.70 per month tax cost for an average home assessed at $241,000. The benefits and improvements, in many cases, outweigh the inevitable rise in taxes: it’s an investment in young minds and the well-being of the whole person. The taxpayer is told that some of the proposed expenditures will not add to the tax burden because certain debts are being paid off, and those payments are now being reallocated to this new expenditure. Is this an intentional red herring? Each expenditure should stand on its merit; it is not “free money.” Just because my car payment is ending does not mean that I should spend the payment money elsewhere, as though it is found money.
The approval on March 8 of the proposed expenditures will be based upon the trust and confidence the voters place in the school board and administration. Although the date has sparked some debate in regards to playing politics where only the parties with the greatest degree of interest are likely to participate, I believe Socrates would frown on the state of democracy. Until his death in 399 B.C., Socrates argued for a democracy where nobility of spirit and intension guided leaders and citizens. Are these expenditures in proportion to family budget priorities? On the other hand, Peter the Great of Russia built his city of St. Petersburg when his nobles and the people cried foul, only to become the envy of 17th century Europe.
Is the Middle Township school system worthy of the trust and confidence which they are calling on the voters to place in them? In these trying economic times, many of the voters are financially stretched. In asking for the money, is the school system genuinely telling the voters they cannot educate the students to the best of their ability without these funds? If the voters’ confidence is high, that this money is essential, they should then approve this request. If not, they should defy the odd timing of this referendum and disapprove it.
Art Hall
