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Health & Fitness

Eminent Domain And The Need For Civil Discourse

There was a School Board meeting tonight. I went, as I have been going to the meetings for the last year, fully expecting to be the only one there, as I often have been for the last year. Sometimes I have arrived at a meeting and the Board room would be full, mostly when there were students being recognized or during the contract negotiations. So when I arrived tonight and the room was full, I was surprised. And pleased. Finally, people were paying attention.

Sadly, my happiness quickly turned to dismay, and then to distaste. The room was filled, but some people were not there to participate in a civil discussion. They did not seem to understand the issues, nor did they seem to have any interest in learning what the issues actually are or how the decision was made to move forward using eminent domain or why the Board felt that was the only recourse regarding purchasing the Meadowbrook Golf Course.

The fact is we absolutely need a new school. Based upon my estimated calculations, we have an additional 450 students in our District this year. We know our Elementary Schools are crowded, and even over-crowded, which is why some classes are held in modular class space, which is expensive and not a great environment for students. The plan to build an Early Learning Center and combine our Kindergarten and 1st Grades is a good one; it will allow our Elementary Schools to have more space. Which I hope will extend the useful life of the buildings.

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My question is whether building an Elementary School is the best path and most strategic decision which will provide for our students while meeting the standard of the fiduciary duty to taxpayers, to spend tax dollars in the most cost-effective manner possible. It seems to me that if we do move forward with eminent domain, which I oppose, it would be wiser to build a new High School next to an Early Learning Center. The students in our Early Childhood Development and Education program work with the Kindergarten students, having the two closer makes the most sense.

Also, by building the High School, we can then still have the possibility of an Elementary School if needed in the future on the site of the old high school. We can also look at renovations at both East Pikeland and Schuylkill. By moving the 1st grades to the Early Learning Center, we free up more class space, meaning smaller additions, and hopefully, the East Pikeland and Schuylkill Supervisors can come together with the Board to agree on a plan. I also think we need to consider whether a school on the North Side would be beneficial. The savings on bussing, plus the added community benefits, need to be weighed against the potential cost savings by having one larger school in the center of the district given the traffic and transportation costs.

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None of this was discussed tonight. There was too much shouting and disruption of the meeting.  There were several people there who wanted to know why and how they Board came to this decision, and I hope we can have a meeting to have that important conversation. But people who don’t even live in the School District were shouting and interrupting the meeting. I am not positive, but they seemed under a mistaken impression that Eminent Domain is illegal and somehow theft.  It was a sad display of the lack of understanding of our political process.

After the Board adjourned to a recess due to the continued disruption, one woman compared the Board to Hitler, and I could not take any more. I stood up and told those in the room that there had been meetings on this for over a year, and I was often the only one there. The problem was not the Board, and  it was unfair to call them names and assume motives without having the facts. In fact, I told the room, I disagree with the decision, but even more, I disagreed with any comparison of the Board to Hitler, the name-calling and rudeness.  It was disrespectful and bordered on ignorant.

When the Board came back I learned that people had picketed the homes of Board members, and that was really disturbing. We have a public venue for these discussions, and that was uncalled for. We can disagree with the decision without being disagreeable. We can do so without the name-calling and diatribes. Without the hateful comments and ideological ranting.

Because here is the thing, I disagree with the decision. I have asked the Board several times to go back to the negotiation table with the owners of Meadowbrook. I have told the owners of Meadowbrook the same thing. We need to find a compromise solution that does not divide our community.

I told the Board tonight, they made an offer of $5 million, they at the very least, need to stand by that offer.  But the fact is, despite how several Board members tried to explain it, I have been going to the meetings for over a year, and not once was there any mention of taking this parcel by eminent domain. Not once. So they may have discussed it, but if they did it was in an executive session, which is not open to the public. And several Board members spoke about how there were numerous public meetings on this topic, and yes, there were a number public meetings, but not once was eminent domain discussed. Not once.

So, we do need more transparency. And more inclusion. We need to have better community participation. I have tried, repeatedly. I practically begged people to come to the meetings this past year. I talk about this so much I have family members who threaten to “unfriend” me on social media. Every day I spend time trying to convince someone to go to a meeting about one thing or another.

But here is the thing, as soon as someone compares ANYONE to Hitler, except Hitler, you have already lost. Eminent domain is not the same as murdering millions of Jews. And if you don’t understand that there really isn’t anything else to say.

So, let’s get to work. Let’s go to the meetings and have civil discourse on our ideas and solutions to this issue. Because that is how democracy works. And speaking of democracy, I wonder, can this issue be put to a referendum? More research to do.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me via email at lisa@consultcts.com or on Facebook via the PASD Parent Forum page. And post your comments here, but please, keep it civil.




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