I had a boss who once admonished me not to tell him it was raining. “I can see that for myself by looking out the window.”
Instead, he said, “Tell me where to find an umbrella.”
Two of my children attended Tudor Elementary School. Admittedly, this was many years ago, but it will sadden me nonetheless if Tudor School actually closes.
I have been watching with interest as families once again come forward to implore the Anchorage School Board not to close or repurpose their neighborhood schools. I understand and empathize with the strong sentiments that drive this advocacy. However, it does not address the elephant in the room.
Unless there’s some magical way to wrest substantial amounts of new funding from theLegislature — a way that will avoid or override the governor’s veto pen — simply sparing one or two schools (for now) does not address serious fiscal challenges that will not go away. With a declining student population, deferred maintenance that threatens our kids’ safety and reliable state funding unlikely to increase to adequate levels, all we are doing is telling the School Board that it’s raining.
Perhaps the neighborhood advocates should come together and form an ad hoc committee to analyze the issues and offer some real solution alternatives. It’s time to step up and tell ASD where to find the umbrella.
— Ted Moninski
Anchorage
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