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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2005)
The INDEPENDENT, April 7, 2005 ; Lattar*. ooat. From page 3 Beyond the look of the build ing, I would ask what are we re ally gaining from a $1,600,000 building? Four classrooms and a cafeteria is what I see on the building plans. Yes, our cafete ria at WGS is inadequate: I will not argue that. But have we for gotten that we have 6 empty classrooms up on the hill at a great place called Lincoln Grade School? As I understand it, if Lincoln sits empty for two consecutive years it will no longer be usable as a public school - 1 year is already gone. If my math is correct, the plan for a new building will cost us $1,600,000, 2 classrooms, and a perfectly good functional school called Lincoln Elemen tary. I am only seeing loss so far. W hat about the cafeteria? Perhaps convert the current WGS gymnasium into a multi use room and put the cafeteria in the multi-use room. Then there would be a cafeteria and a gym in one room. When I was in grade school we ate in our classrooms and class monitors went to the kitchen to pick up the hot lunches. I also ask where does the $1,600,000 come from and, more significantly, how does it get repaid? The district is al ready overburdened with money shortages that have forced some questionable changes to our curriculum, i.e. 90 minute class blocks and fewer course choices. Is the decision to bor row $1,600,000 going to help the current financial situation? I don’t see how. Perhaps seeing one new building will excite peo ple into approving a bond to build new schools and we could use that bond to pay off the ex isting loan for the previously con structed new building: just like in the story about Peter and Paul. We have a temporary adminis trator making some very big fi nancial choices for our district. In conclusion, I would ask why the school administration and school board are choosing this route as opposed to putting together a solid plan for getting a school bond approved and get the new schools built through proper channels? I would also ask is it too much to ask the people of our communi ty to forego one personal pleas ure per week (eating out, a pack of smokes, can of chew, 6 pack of beer, or movie rental) to ......................... ...................... help pay the taxes required to build new schools? If the new building does get built, we still have the “rat-hole” - as our school board called it - called W ashington Grade School where all of our children still go to school and will continue to go to school regardless of the fact that we spent $1,600,000, lost 2 classrooms, and perma nently closed down a great school called Lincoln Elemen tary. With Great Respect to Vernonia, Chris Barnes Vernonia So, as this second year closed, the call went out around the world and across this nation to mark this painful event. Three of us gathered at the bridge in Vernonia and lit candles for those who have sacrificed their well-being, peace-of-mind and lives. A short speech was read and I would like to share it with you along with a poem: “Senseless War” Gone are you r missing troubles Gone are you r fallen jo ys Gone is the sound o f your name Slipping aw ay into time Goodbye m y love Goodbye m y daughter Goodbye m y son I loved you so. Why do we need war? What good does it do? To the Editor: I would like to note March 19th. It was 2 years ago, on the eve of Spring that a terrible storm occurred in our hearts and minds. War, once again, strode forcibly into our lives. Well, here we all are, tonight, at this bridge. How, in the world did we get here? We came here because of a sense of So cial Consciousness which oc curs when surrounding circum stances demand that we drop what we are doing and put en ergy into something more im portant than ourselves or our daily tasks. This can happen to just one person, like Patrick Henry. Or it can happen to a group of folks, like us. In either situation, it is a time to tell the world it must change its course. War needs to stop being the center piece of dealing with others. W ar only destroys, maims, disables and kills. Do we need war to influence Page 17 others? Do we need war to en hance our lives? Do we need war to bring us more oil? Do we need war to be proud of our kids? Do we need war to deliver freedom to other nations? Do we need war to reach out and touch other fam ilies in other countries? Do we need war to advance medical technology? Do we need war to advance education? Do we need war to assure Social Security? Do we need war to bring us income? 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