Guest Viewpoint: BVCS new school proposal one-sided

I taught at Westport Central School for over 30 years, and shortly after I retired, I volunteered to sit on the committee that studied the feasibility of a merger with the Elizabethtown/Lewis school district. We were assured that the state would pay at least 90% of the cost of a new building. We also operated under the assumption that any new building would be centrally located between the two former districts. Now we are looking at a proposal of a new building at the far end of a geographically large district with the total state's share around 55%. The Elizabethtown school building has a transition plan, but the Westport building has no such plan and very well could be left derelict. I know we can't control when the state decides to change its numbers, but as a Westport resident, this plan falls short on many levels. Proposing a new school at Thrall Dam to Westport residents makes about as much sense as proposing a school on the south side of Westport would be to Elizabethtown-Lewis residents. What school community builds a school at the far end of their district?! I know we have looked for more central locations and the Thrall Dam property has some economic advantages, but this is shortsighted thinking. What looks like a good deal in the short run may be far from it in the long run. We all have to live with this decision well into the future. This plan is potentially devastating to Westport in many ways. The location of a school has a huge impact on the community it serves. People move to where there is ready access to good schools. This has an important economic impact on small towns, and in the present case, Westport in particular. What family with young children is going to move here with the school 12 miles away from the center of town? What about the families already living here: added bus times, travel to and from the school, especially in winter, especially for senior citizens like grandparents facing a long drive to school activities or to pick up a grandchild. Not to mention that removing our school from town hurts our local businesses. The added prospect of an empty school building deteriorating in the center of town would not only be demoralizing, but unsightly and potentially dangerous. If our fledgling school merger is going to work, it will be in large part because it is fair and equitable to both former districts. As it stands now, there is a school in each former district—elementary in Westport and middle/high school in Elizabethtown/Lewis, soccer and most spring sports are played in Westport and the long season of basketball is played in Elizabethtown. Through the course of their schooling, students' bus times will even out. Less than ideal for sure, but workable. I know that we all want the best for our students and for our new school district. I also know that a group of well-intentioned, intelligent people worked long and hard on this proposal. But a viable plan for me means a centrally located new school, or committing to our two present school buildings; and if we build a new central school, then we must have a workable plan for the occupation of both our present school buildings. I do not feel that the plan being proposed now is fair and equitable, nor is it in the best interest to our towns in the long run. As it stands now, I cannot support it. -Scott Gibbs was a Middle School and High School English at Westport Central School from 1979-2012. He directed drama productions and talent shows, coached speech and debate, and coached basketball and baseball. He served on the committee that studied the feasibility of a merger of Westport Central School with the Elizabethtown/Lewis school district.

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Guest Viewpoint: BVCS new school proposal one-sided

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