OPINION: School district’s ideas creative for helping students

Florence School District 1 earned a “C” in an external review of its facilities in 2004. Five years later, Superintendent Larry Jackson downgraded the situation to “D” for desperate and told parents at three town meetings this week that it’s time for a major overhaul.

After losing a bond election in 2007 to raise money for capital projects, Jackson and the school board indicated they’re ready to propose a slight tax increase to pay for the district’s first new school in 14 years and other significant upgrades.

The proposal, which would add $26 a year to property taxes on a $50,000 home and $78 on a $100,000 commercial business, seems a small price to pay.

Currently, residents within the district pay $38 on a $50,000 home and $114 on a $100,000 business.

We support efforts by the school board to fund projects in the next two years on a “pay-as-you-go” basis instead of attempting to float another general obligation bond issue in 2010.

“We need to begin to address ways to build new facilities for our children,” Jackson said.

With the economic despair of 2009, it would be impossible for the school board to win a bond campaign in 2010.

The school board has the authority to raise taxes and pay for new facilities on an as-needed basis.  And that’s a good thing. Some of the classroom conditions for the 15,000-plus students are appalling. Last year, an entire room collapsed at Royall Elementary without warning.

We were surprised to learn the average age of District 1 schools was 41. Seven schools have been around more than 50 years old, including Royall Elementary the oldest at 60.

On Aug. 6, the board approved funding for site work for a new elementary school and middle school.  The decision clears the way for future construction as soon as the school board raises the tax rate.
Spending money to prepare the site was only the start. The board also approved the concept of spending $17 million for a relief school for Carver Elementary and Delmae Elementary,  $17 million for new North Vista Elementary, $17 million for new Royall Elementary School on the Moore Intermediate School site and $20 million for a new Moore Middle School.

There are significant advantages to the district’s pay-as-you-go plan over bonding. Each two-year project would be paid off quickly, saving significantly on interest, compared to a 30-year general obligation bond. A $125 million bond over 30 years would cost $104 million in interest at today’s rates.

Parents at the three meetings were understandably concerned about conditions. Delmae, for example, has to start serving at 9:45 a.m., for example, to feed students lunch on time.

The 182 portable classrooms underscore the desperate need for facilities on the 21 campuses. West Florence High School alone has 20 portable units, nearly enough to call it another entire school.
Schools are designed to have 30 classrooms. Royall has 19 portables. Every school has at least one, except for Moore.

“Nearly 20 percent of our students are house in portables,” Jackson said.

School facilities and the quality of education are not issues isolated to Florence. They’re at the top of nearly agenda across the state.

Fortunately, the district wants to upgrade at an ideal time. An economic slowdown means interest rates are low and potential contractors would be motivated to submit competitive bids.

Because of conservative decisions and spending in the past, the district has a stable financial system in place, contrary to others in the state.  As of June 30, 2010, the district will be free of any long-term debt.

“Our maintenance staff has done a good job in keeping up what we have,” Jackson said. “They can only do so much.”

Jackson also spoke of the possibility of creating a performing arts high school downtown in collaborating with the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center.

The school of 250-300 students would alleviate some crowding in the three high schools, Wilson, South Florence and West Florence, and would be a boon for downtown, located in the Poynor Learning Center building on Palmetto and Dargan streets.

The district’s ideas future are creative, a positive renewal after years of false starts. Let’s hope they come to fruition and create a stronger learning environment for our children.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).