By Jackson Swearer
A Certain Point of View
Readers probably expected that the Tribune would pen an editorial about the USD 308 bond issue.
Ultimately, our editorial board was divided on the topic. We could not come to a consensus position. But I did not want to let the vote pass by without any comment, and chose to write a column instead.
Personally, I remain conflicted. Growing up as a Salthawk, K-12, I was “lucky” to be part of the first class in the divided seventh- and eighth-grade buildings. There were sound reasons to end the north/south divide in the middle schools. However, as often happens, the solution to one problem led to another.
Four transitions in four years is too many. The current system is not serving our sixth- through ninth-graders well. While they are going through a host of changes in their own lives, they are pitched into a chaotic whirlwind of different teachers, administrators and support staff. School should be a source of stability, particularly for our most vulnerable students.
Something needs to change, but is the proposed bond the right solution?
The main feature of the plan proposed by the district is to build a new combined middle school for sixth through eighth grades, located near 23rd and Severance, where there are currently soccer fields and baseball diamonds.
I agree with the idea of creating a unified middle school. Renovating the existing buildings risks recreating the north/south divide from the past. I trust school officials who say adding sixth grade to the middle school will better align with modern curricula.
While I appreciate that many people in Hutchinson are living on low or fixed incomes, for whom any increase in property taxes can be a burden, I also believe that we have an obligation to fund the education of children in our community. I am willing to pay a little more to the school to ensure we have quality facilities.
Frankly, my household spends more on Halloween each year, living in a popular neighborhood to trick-or-treat, than the increase in our property taxes from the bond.
Yet, if we are going to spend all this money on a new building, I want this to be the right long-term solution. My main concerns are related to the location.
Some commenters are worried about traffic, and while I expect the proposed location to be a traffic nightmare during major events like the State Fair, it will likely be no worse than any other proposed location.
Others have expressed concern about the floodplain. I trust school officials who say they can mitigate any floodplain concerns for the school, but I still have questions about the impact of paving over a significant area that is currently grass on local stormwater infrastructure.
A detention pond on-site may address most of those issues, but if not, water runs downhill toward the south side of town, where aging infrastructure often leads to streets flooding during heavy rain events.
Speaking of the south side of Hutchinson, my biggest concern is that the proposed middle school is in the far northeast corner of the district boundaries. Perhaps ideal for attracting residents north of 17th into the district, but it seems to leave the folks on the south side of Hutchinson out to dry.
Officials say this is the only suitable and available land currently owned by the school, but I would have preferred to locate the new school at the site of Graber Elementary. The synergy with Hutch High, particularly the Career and Technical Education Academy, could be a major boon for Salthawks who hope to graduate career-ready.
The explanation from school officials for why that location did not work was that they did not want to close another elementary school.
I am sure the parents of former Lincoln Elementary students would love to have their school reopened. District heatmaps show fewer students currently live in that area, but this is a long-term investment. Efforts by the City of Hutchinson and other local organizations to promote infill housing and other new developments should be factored in.
Yet, for all of that, I am reminded of some sage advice: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
I do believe that there is a significant problem that needs to be addressed, and I want USD 308 to have quality facilities for my own son when he gets to middle school. Whether the bond passes or not, he will be a Salthawk.
I may vote yes, but not without some reservations. If the bond should happen to fail, I hope that officials will consider alternate locations and try again in the future. We do need to do something, even if this plan isn’t perfect.
Jackson Swearer is the Publisher and Managing Editor of The Hutchinson Tribune. He can be reached at jackson@hutchtribune.com.