We need balance.

We’re still dealing with state and national pressure for excessive (and not very useful) testing and with the combination of needs and wants that will be packaged as a “Phase II” capital bond.

The school district should create flexibility for teachers to actually teach, rather than just get kids ready for tests, and should support teachers’ efforts to combine new curriculum requirements with things that may have more value for kids.

The district should also balance capital needs and wants with a concern for taxpayers’ wallets. Our old buildings and fields won’t magically repair or replace themselves; at some point, we have to put money into them. But how much? And when? As I write this, the community at large hasn’t been involved in the discussion. By the time you read this, I hope it will be. Everyone who lives here should be treated as a “stakeholder.”