Public remarkably quiet on school bond

We’re less than three weeks away from the Glencoe-Silver Lake (GSL) building bond vote, and we’ve yet to receive one letter to the editor on the subject that wasn’t generated by a school administrator.
Public discussion has been remarkably lacking, and a recent poll on The Chronicle website indicates that there will be few attendees at upcoming forums. Perhaps we ought not to put a lot of faith in that poll: as of Tuesday morning, only 47 responses had been received, but 89 percent of those responding reportedly had already decided how they will vote, while 9 percent indicated they will attend a forum and 2 percent said they may attend if their schedules allow.
Fortunately, the forums are not the only means of receiving information. There is, of course, coverage in The Chronicle. And the school district has done a remarkable job of providing tools for information on its website, as well as informational mailings. Perhaps in this day of busy schedules, people prefer to get their information in the comfort of their living rooms by surfing the web and reading the paper.
Regardless, we hope people will seriously consider a “yes” vote on May 12, for a variety of reasons:
• First, if the vote fails, the school district will be faced with upgrading the Helen Baker Elementary building at a cost of about $8 million. That will only correct fundamental issues; it will not provide additional space. Even if the district invests $8 million, students may still spend their winter recesses in hallways because of lack of gym space, and will still need to go outdoors to visit the media center. Neither of those should be considered acceptable situations for our children.
• Second, if the vote fails, the district may again consider an addition rather than upgrading Helen Baker. However, as we know from the difference from the 2011 bonds to 2015, the costs will continue to rise and we will likely get less space for our money.
• Third, although the current $24 million bond issue on the table will buy us less than the proposed $18 million bond in 2011, it will still give us additional space, allow us to modernize learning space for current programs and allow greater integration of learning between the lower grade levels and the higher grade levels, while still keeping those grades fundamentally separated for most of the learning day.
• And, fourth, the current proposal emphasizes the district’s desire to utilize its campus in Silver Lake with a commitment to improving Lakeside, also.
This may be our last chance to approve a building program that will provide us the ability to enhance our educational programs rather than just maintaining current buildings at ever-increasing costs.
Please take advantage of it.