BISD, CSI, Brownwood Schools, Opinions, etc.

For the last several weeks I have been wavering on whether to support the bond package being proposed for Brownwood Schools or to support those who have expressed valid concerns. Both sides have expressed valid arguments and valid points. The " outsiders or newcomers " views (like found below) of our school facilities is one of the main reasons I will support this bond proposal.

Sunday January 30, 2005
Lifestyles: Candace Cooksey Fulton

Yes, I voted yes ... and here's why -- Candace Cooksey Fulton

Last week I voted in favor of the Brownwood Independent School District bond. I voted yes in spite of the reasoning against the bond published in this paper in recent weeks. And while I've found myself agreeing with most everything said in favor of the bond and the school improvements, nothing that was said since the Committee for School Improvements formed months ago fashioned my decision.

My decision was made nearly three years ago, when I brought my sons to Brownwood High School to take a tour of the facilities. That was the spring of 2002, and they were attending brand new, state-of-the-art schools in San Angelo. But our family's move was imminent, and so a school tour seemed like the proper step for us to take.
I am sorry to say, and this isn't necessarily just my fault or a compliment to the BISD, but at the time, all I knew about the Brownwood schools was how many times their football team had won state.
The three of us were horrified that day at what we saw. The run-down, poorly laid-out, dark and dreary facility was enough to send my boys packing. But the most depressing moment for me came when our guide, Larry Mathis, told us there was little hope for improvement of the facility since just a few months before the bond had failed.
Fast forward to now, and I'm reminded of one of those little paper signs you used to see now and again on people's office bulletin boards. The one that says, "We have done so much with so little for so long that we now can do anything with nothing."
My children's experience at Brownwood High School has been excellent. Despite the almost deplorable conditions of the school's theater, the 19-year-old got to be involved in some wonderful productions at BHS, and is attending college on a number of scholarships, the most generous of which is in theater arts.
The youngest is a junior at BHS, and so, the bond's passing will do nothing to benefit him.
As a relative newcomer to this community, I want to make it perfectly clear how much and how often I've appreciated the faculty and staff at the high school. Their attitude, compassion and dedication to the education of my children have been unequalled and we consider ourselves blessed.
Generally, I think we do our children a sad disservice by undervaluing education in their presence. We talk about "Well, when I was in school ..." We criticize the teachers, the rules and the systems. We argue over money. We tell our kids it's OK if they're too tired to do their homework because they had to work after school, and anyway, we say, "It's a stupid assignment."
Why should they value and appreciate something we obviously don't?
I think we've done a terrible thing to them in the last few weeks, letting them hear our discussions of whether or not they're worth the cost (notice I didn't say price) of improving to code and standard the schools they attend.
I wince each time a letter to the editor gives the analogy of wanting to drive a luxury car, but only being able to afford a pickup, or whatever. Hear this from a woman whose family caravan includes three older model vehicles, I can barely afford. That is my choice. What isn't my choice, but has to be also budgeted, and is the most expensive part of owning three cars, is the $514 a month car insurance I pay.
I look at our schools' needs as I look at car and health insurance (another $400 a month), going to the dentist or doctor or buying eyeglasses. They aren't frills. They are necessities for which the frills are sometimes sacrificed. Even the things we need very badly often have to be delayed until a three paycheck "flush" month.
But don't we all know the sooner a problem can be attended to, the cheaper it is to fix? A car maintenance tuneup costs about $100. A new engine costs several thousand dollars.
The Brown County schools where my grandmother and her siblings taught in the early 1900s didn't have indoor plumbing. When I hear the argument against air-conditioning the gyms, I wonder if those same nay-sayers have considered how much cheaper our schools could be if we didn't have indoor plumbing. (Amazingly enough, that was a cost-cutting answer when the band hall and art buildings were added at the high school. Bathrooms weren't included and it's been a problem ever since.)
We must accept that applying old standards to current situations will always skew the equation, and never solve the problem. Saying how things used to be does nothing but detract from the current concerns. I don't deny things were wonderful back when. Our goal, however is to prepare students to cope and function in a world of the future, that frankly, we can hardly imagine.
Who among us has anything more important to spend our money on than the next generation? The wisdom of the ages is, all that is certain in life is death and taxes. I believe those who think we're better served by not voting for this bond will wake up in 20 years with no money to prove their savings and school facilities that cannot be repaired or salvaged. Our children need to believe they are worth our time and money.
I voted yes because I believe that giving our youth the support and environment to be educated is the mature, rational and (really) only logical thing to do.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/01/30/lifestyles/candace%20cooksey%20fulton/ccf.txt