Oppose school consolidation plan

To the editor:

Although I am an employee of Jay Schools, I am voicing my opinion as a tax payer of Jay County. My opinion is not directed at one individual or group of individuals. Jay County citizens have been asked numerous times to voice/share their opinion. This is my voice. As a resident of Jay County, I am troubled at the latest bond request presented by our superintendent.

Over the past two years, we the people of Jay County, have been told time and time again that Jay Schools is headed toward a deficit. Cutting staff, expenditures and the closing of schools are some of the answers to keep Jay Schools out of deficit spending. With reluctance from some parents, as well as Jay School Corporation staff; Pennville and Judge Haynes elementary schools have been closed, staff has been cut and expenditures/spending have been slashed.

All those steps were put into action to keep us out of deficit spending.

Now the latest answer is to tax the residents of Jay County. An estimated $20 million in bonds are being considered by our school board, and you, the tax payers of Jay County, are to hand over the money.

What is this $20 million being used for, you might ask? To build.

In a time of declining enrollment, tighter budgets our school board wants to build. Less than one year after closing yet another school, not only have more consolidation requests been made, but now they’re asking the tax payer, you, to pay for a construction project.

In this latest request, Westlawn and General Shanks are the schools on the chopping block, with construction money to be spent primarily at the high school. We’re told again that consolidation is the way to keep us from deficit spending.

However, this time that is not enough. Now we, the tax payers of Jay County, are asked to come up with $20 million.

Even as we’ve closed buildings at the request of our superintendent and school board in the past, we’re now told that closing buildings is not enough, it’s time to raise taxes as well. With an increase in property taxes for both landowners and homeowners, the cost of living in Jay County will go up directly related to Jay Schools’ request for construction bonds.

I find it disturbing how Jay Schools can make a motion to have you, the tax payers of Jay County, pay what’s considered a fair share of the construction cost when our superintendent is not even a resident of Jay County.

Two of the three high school administrators also live outside of Jay County, but the high school is scheduled to receive most of the $20 million in funds.

Where is the “fair share” in that? How is this keeping it local?

An even bigger point, we’re told declining enrollment is the major cause of the coming deficit. So, raising the property taxes in Jay County, thus the cost of living, is going to invite families back to Jay County and thus negate declining enrollment problem? No way.

With the November election, it’s obvious the people of Jay County are not fond of the direction Jay Schools is headed. Just this last election, both contested school board members were defeated handily in bids for re-election. You, the residents of Jay County, spoke.

Now it seems the administration is pushing the consolidation/construction motion to a vote before the end of the year; before the newly elected school board members can take office. That raises a red flag for me. Sounds like Washington, D.C., tactics to me.

I urge residents of Jay County to reach out to your district school board representative and voice your opinion. Attend the December school board meeting Monday. The Jay Schools website — jayschoolcorp.org/school-board — will provide you with your district representative as well as a way to contact them.

I’m expressing my concerns as a tax payer of Jay County and not an employee of Jay Schools. Thank you in advance for voicing your opinion. We all have a voice, let it be heard. May God bless you and your family.

Ryan Wellman

Bryant

Editor’s note: Though incumbents were defeated in November, all five candidates running in the contested school board races expressed their support of the proposed school consolidation plan that is expected to be voted on at Monday’s school board meeting.