Dear Editor:
When I read in last week's Carroll County Mirror-Democrat (and Savanna Times-Journal) that the West Carroll School Board scheduled Town Hall meetings in each community to address the need to have three buildings (attendance centers), I said to myself, "It's about time."
They have been talking about this issue for months and the "keep the high school in Savanna at all cost team" keeps saying they need more information. Do they or is this a stall tactic?
The facts are clear. All students can fit into two buildings. Close the high school building and stop incurring expenses for an excess building.
The high school building, the oldest building, is over 60 years old, and is identified as being in poor condition in the last District Health/Life/Safety report. It is the only attendance center with asbestos (identified in the 2021 Asbestos Reinspection Report), lead in the water, (identified in a Jan 2023 Health Dept letter) and, no sprinkler system.
The Mirror-Democrat/Times-Journal also reported a board member on the Savanna team brought in a contractor that estimated it would cost about $8 million to repair the high school building.
Why would the school board entertain this idea? Is it the fiscally responsible thing to do? The Savanna team continues to delay making a decision, using the mantra "we need more information." They have all the information they need, but they do not like it.
Have these Town Hall meetings, which are required to close a school building, gather input from residents of each West Carroll School District community and make a decision to close this excess building.
It's time to stop chanting the mantra and make the decision.
Mike Risko
Mount Carroll
