Throughout all the changes in this community there has always been one constant: the dedication of the Newton Community School District to its students. Red Pride and building the future go hand-in-hand. As a necessary part of the district’s goal to achieve an 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio, Emerson Hough was reopened this fall as an elementary school.
School boards come and go; administrators come and go. Facilities remain. Neither the district’s current administration nor the school board created the needs with the Berg campus, which are far more than cosmetic. The school board’s recommendation to build a new facility is more than an ideal solution for students and teachers. It is also the wisest use of taxpayer funds.
The real choice is between bonding $28M to build a new, state-of-the-art campus versus borrowing $17-$20M to renovate a 50-year-old structure. Either way, the district will make a major investment. It is far more sensible, given the cost differential, to build a new campus than to spend 60 to 70 percent of that amount to renovate a structure that will, educationally and functionally, remain “as is.”
We have all benefited from previous generations who had the vision to make sound decisions for the future of Newton’s students. If you question the need to re-build the Berg School complex, or are curious why a new campus is the preferred option, please attend this weekend’s event at Berg. Tours, presentations and Q&A sessions begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Mark D. Hallam
Newton