Careful thought went into planning high school bond

In Newton, Mass., a suburb of Boston, ground has been broken for a new high school replacing Newton North High School, a building constructed in 1970.

With substantial cost overruns, the price tag for the new 2,200-student facility has risen to $186 million with no money budgeted for the removal of the soon-to-be-obsolete building.

The situation has led to the resignation of the architect and a high degree of consternation and scrutiny from the public. Any way you do the math, this is one high-priced facility.

As a contrast, the "new" Whitefish High School bond will offer our 650 students substantial improvements in the infrastructure, including the replacement of more than half our current classrooms deemed to be too small and constructed in the mid 1950s with uninsulated block and single-pane glass.

There are many wonderful components of this project, with the highest proportion of dollars allocated to the improvement of learning and instruction, along with a secure setting. This includes replacement of 55 percent of the current classrooms, new science labs and the remodeling of the remaining classrooms.

Smaller portions of the bond will fund a cafeteria/food court (currently no such designated space exists), locker room expansion, additional fine arts space, electrical and plumbing improvements, and security improvements, along with architectural and engineering fees.

There are two very important questions you should consider in respect to the Whitefish High School bond:

? First and foremost: Will the finished product meet the learning needs of our students and provide a superior work environment for our teachers and support staff?

A partnership comprising of Whitefish High School teachers along with an architect and a design consultant have carefully considered the immediate needs and the long-term possibilities, through the inclusion of space configurations necessary to accommodate anticipated changes to teaching and learning.

A new building does not make a great school unless that new building has the underpinnings currently at Whitefish High School, including high quality teachers, continual enhancement of the curriculum, and efforts to connect with each student.

? Secondly: Can you afford to pay for this project? In a recently released survey of Class A high school districts, Whitefish is shown to have the highest taxable-value of property among the 24 peer districts throughout the state.

The bond is spread among a large and varied pool of taxpayers, making it quite affordable for many property owners. Only you can make such a determination regarding affordability, but the answer may surprise you. You can determine the annual cost of the school building by accessing the Web site gis.mt.gov and accessing "parcel search" and then "owner." You will then see your taxable value. Multiply the value by 0.0012009 to derive the annual cost.

Whitefish voters were generous in their approval of the new middle school. The product is both beautiful and will be functional for many years to come. Let's continue our support of education through the passage of the Whitefish High School bond. The mail ballots will arrived in your mail on March 6.

David Fern is the chairman of the Whitefish School District Board of Trustees.