Nos. 1 and 2 are the two main bond propositions of the six that Lancaster Superintendent Larry Lewis has the Lancaster School Board offering the public for a vote May 12.
I see the growth that will come to Lancaster, and agree with replacing Pleasant Run and West Main elementaries. That said, given that Lewis still hasn’t completed the necessary annual school district audit, it’s unknown who will permanently be the district’s financial director, and other things, if I were still there, I’d be hesitant to give him charge of even this bond proposition.
In fact, that said, if the district hasn’t completed its required audit by the start of early voting, I’ll change this to a ‘no’ recommendation, and see if I can’t get a column placed in an old-fashioned hardcopy newspaper.
Now, Proposition No 2 is the biggie.
In Lewis’s presentation, he says the district has 911 classroom seats currently available. He projects four-year district growth of 1925 seats, leaving the district at -1,014 seats without Proposition No. 1 passing.
But, later in the presentation, Lewis says Proposition No. 1 alone will add 2,434 seats. So, after its construction is done, the district would have 1, 420 vacant seats, or 515 MORE than it does now! That’s 56 percent more vacant seats than now, in fact!
Can anybody not named Larry Lewis say why the district even needs Proposition 2 — not just now, but 4 or even 6 years from now? If you’re worried about land prices that much, add the school site purchase from Prop. 2 to Prop. 1 and be done with it.
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