Concerned with board decision

To the Editor:

Another "concerned" Clay County resident sent me information from the Sept. 16 edition of the Clay City News concerning the Clay Community Schools Corporation's apparent desire to build a transportation facility at what is now the City Coal yard.

My concerns is that the corporation has seemed to forget that we also need a new location for the Central Office before we end up in a federal lawsuit for denying the handicapped access to that public building by its very design or the building falls down from age. As we need to build or buy something, why hasn't the school corporation taken a look at the "big" picture and realized that our Central Office, bus facility, and buildings and grounds maintenance facility can and should all be at one location to save money.

If our school corporation designed kitchens, they would have the sink in the garage, the range in the attic, and the refrigerator in the basement while running no water, gas or electrical lines to them so you had to cook over a fire in the back yard.

There was some discussion as the hiring procedure of an interim principal on name alone. I thought it odd that the corporation would look in more detail at the companies to be the architect for a short-term building project (I think three were interviewed) than it would an individual it was going to entrust our students too. Talk about "buying a pig in a poke," why weren't candidates for this position interviewed in executive session so that the members of the board had at least some chance of knowing whom they were voting on and the candidates' background?

Apparently, there exists mistrust amongst members of our school board and between the board members and employees. Recalling that corporation employees stated twice in 2007 that the CPF was not for new construction in contradiction of the law, I can understand the "mistrust." It seems that asking questions is always met with the words of an employee being "parroted," even when their "truth" is suspect. Vaudeville had acts like that, but in those, one of the two "persons" was a dummy that the other operated.

Of course, ventriloquist acts were comedy and we are talking about this community's education system, so every person involved should be thinking for themselves with a goal of making the best possible decision, collectively, instead of relying on one person to make a decision then nodding in agreement like a brainless bobblehead.

The mistrust seems to stem from the inability to get a clear concise answer to any question. That reminds me of Nixon declaring, "I am not a crook," after resigning to avoid impeachment. Will the school board kindly start demanding to know all of the facts so that the best solution can be found instead of relying only on the facts that supports the administration's recommendation?

Leo L. Southworth,

Brazil