Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

First they tell us that they don't have the money to give the school on the wrong side of the tracks a regulation track at the Jr. High stadium......

Then in today's Pickerington Times-Sun the schools want to pre-spend up to $530,000 on plans for a school which the voters haven't even approved.

Don't we already own a set of plans for some of the schools we already built? Or are the current set of plans not up to the standards of those on the ''correct'' side of the tracks?

Is this another way for the schools to tell the taxpayers look at the money that we already spent on this project? Don't let that go to waste by not letting us build a school.

I for one am FED UP with the current school administration.

By Fed UP

Doesn't work that way

The designs for each school are the property of the architectual firm who drew them up and may not be used by another firm.

By Resident

Timing

I asked about the timing of this - architects have told the BOE that it takes 2 summers & 1 winter to build a school.

2006/2007 has a projected classroom need of 5 elementary classrooms minimally, this will result in art on a cart & music on a cart in most elementary buildings to achieve the necessary space.

2007/2008 is when alternative housing will be considered - there will be no other rooms to convert in the K-4 buildings. Many of the K-4 buildings can't have additional portables because of utility constraints given the current amount of portables that currently exist at those locations.

A school can still open in 2007 if plans are started now & a levy passes in November. If the levy fails the opening will be pushed out & alternative housing will be implemented in 2007 rather than open new buildings.

The plans are being considered for a specific site - Sycamore Creek, so not generic. And will be used at such time when the school will be built at that location.

All this does is try to buy time to avoid split sessions or year round school. I saw some of the options listed in this weeks Southeast Messneger.

By Concerned Parent

New Elementaries

And, even if the district wanted to try and duplicate Tussing, the plans would have to be reviewed/revised for compliance to current codes and standards. One site is known/available - at Sycamore Creek. An elementary must be built on this site by a certain year or the land reverts back to the developer. It is my opinion that the current make up of the school board will not allow another elaborate school such as North to be built again. I believe the current BOE will consider economics, efficiency, and equitability when approving designs for the desperately needed two elementary schools. This isn't the same group, in its entirety, that approved the designs for North and Lakeview.