I’m not a big fan of qualifiers in items I write, particularly in a blog, or prefacing my comments to help ease the inevitable comments that come as a result of what’s written. That said, this is certainly one of those situations because it involves the welfare of our children and the education they receive.

 

I’m talking here about the situation involving the need for a new school at Johnson Elementary School. I understand there are other schools in Harrison County that need attention as well. Heck, I went from grade one through nine at what is now North View Elementary School. My daughter attended Washington Irving Middle School. I know they have needs as well. And I know there are other schools that fall under the "major needs" category as well.

 

For purposes of this blog and since this is Connect-Bridgeport, we’ll be focusing on Johnson Elementary. As many of you know, a group led by the Johnson PTA made a presentation to the Harrison County Board of Education about the woes of the school asking that Johnson be the next school on the list to be replaced.

 

Rose Rossana of Johnson’s PTA did a power point presentation on the matter and, to be quite honest, until reviewing it myself recently, I didn’t know things were THAT bad. Bad, yes, but if she was wanting to paint a picture of just how poor things were, she was Picasso that evening.

 

Part of the reason I wanted to look at the presentation stemmed from a friend of mine who has a child at Johnson Elementary. The friend read Julie Perine’s story following the meeting and the presentation on the school and was dumbfounded about the presence of mold, asbestos and other issues.

 

His line to me was this: “Why don’t we just hand the kids a pack of smokes at the door and not worry about it.”

 

While his comment was in jest, there’s a serious side to it. Johnson Elementary School is a problem. It’s not just below the standard for educational needs in Bridgeport and Harrison County, it’s likely on par with some of the worst in the state.

 

I have nothing to base that last comment on outside of what I already know and what I reviewed in Rossana’s presentation.  And for those that weren’t there at the BOE meeting Dec. 2 or for those who will have children there or simply care about the well being of our youth, here’s what else she presented.

 

There are four modular classrooms that were built for temporary use that are going on their third decade of use. On top  of that, there are crowded conditions and Rossana presented there are also security and safety concerns for those four buildings – housing  two 2^nd Grade classes, 1 Kindergarten class and 1 music/phyiscal education office.

 

What I find mind boggling is that there is no gymnasium. Since warm and good weather isn’t always available, the options are the hallways or some good old-fashioned pilates in the regular classroom. What grade school kid doesn’t wake up wanting to do pilates?

 

Did I mention there’s a roof that needs completely replaced that leaks in several sections of the school? The outdated HVAC system fails constantly, the piping from it often leaks and that – coupled with the leaky roof – leads to the presence of mold at JES. Mold issues have been documented not just on this Web site, but by all media in recent years. The Harrison County Board of Education has done some things to address mold woes at the school, but as long as you have water infiltrating a building you’re going to have mold.

 

What could be worse than mold? How about an outdated fire alarm system so old that parts can’t be purchased that need replaced. Add to that Rossana said in her presenation that the outdoor modular classrooms cannot hear fire alarms.

 

Want more? There’s  a kitchen too small for the needs of the students, the need for more than a dozen restrooms to match the enrollment, and the replacement of 6,522 square feet of asbestos-containing floor tile, inadequate storage areas and so much more that even the infinite space of the internet wouldn’t allow me to cover the woes.

 

Of course, the school from the outside looks fine. The main hallways are often clean and sparkling thanks to a great staff and others who help out. But, you don’t have to go far to see the issues – many of which are included in photos that were part of the very presentation.

 

Let me preface what I’m about to say next about the elected Board of Education and this matter. Those currently sitting on the BOE aren’t responsible for the mess. Some of these issues date back decades. Even if the problems are JES came about on their watch, there are certain realities as it relates to dollars available that make every decision difficult. I get that. I don’t blame the BOE for it a decades-old mess.

 

That said, as the elected members of the Harrison County Board of Education, it is their problem. It is their responsibility. They are tasked to fix it regardless of the resources available. That’s a reality that I’m sure I don’t have to tell them about. The group sitting on that board are good responsible people that have difficult decisions to make and knew that when they opted to put their names on the ballot to run for office.

 

Does Johnson Elementary need to be next on the list of projects that the elected BOE will be deciding? Should it be at the top of the list? I can’t sit here and definitely tell you that. What I can tell members of the BOE and anyone else reading this is that whatever decision is made needs to be made for the school in the most need, which very well could be Johnson Elementary.  

 

The decision of what’s next needs to be made fairly without thinking about where a school is located or any other demographic that sometimes shapes an individuals’ mindset. I have faith in those sitting on that board that they’ll approach this with blinders on to all outside factors. What has to be done now and what has to use bandages until they can be addressed is a decision no one will be taking lightly.

 

Again, I don’t know if Johnson is the worst, but I can assure you the bandages there aren’t working. No community school deserves to be in the shape Johnson Elementary is in nor should educators try to teach our youth under the circumstances presented. More important, no student should have to learn in that environment.

 

In the end, it’s about the children. That, and that alone, should shape future decisions by the Harrison County Board of Education as to who’s next.