"What's Best for Kids?"

"What's best for kids?"  These four words have caused me deep reflection and challenge to personal convictions, over the past month.  A couple of intelligent and articulate young ladies representing the Student Body, at Neosho High School, and the Graduating class of 2015; came before the Neosho School Board to request moving graduation to Missouri Southern State Univeristy's Leggett & Platt Center.  There reason?  They wished for valued family and friends to attend their graduation.  They feared inclement weather could force their graduation ceremony inside, at Neosho High School, and cause limited seating.  Indeed, over the past eight years, this has been the case six times.

Upon first hearing this proposal, I was shocked.  I was saddened.  I felt betrayed, by the very students whom I have tried to advocate for, as I have pushed several educational agendas.  You see, when I am injured and blood comes to the surface of my skin, it is not crimson or red in color.  When I bleed, it is a mixture of two colors.........BLACK AND GOLD.  I believe in Neosho.  I believe in all that is good about this community and how wonderful it is to raise children here.  I fondly recall riding my bicycle around the entire City, as a youth in the 1970's, waving at Jim Gage as he opened his Dry Cleaning Business; or stopping to say "Hello" to Hale McGinty, as he swept the sidewalk in front of his Department Store; or riding into the Neosho Fire Department to check out the Fire Trucks with Chief Bill Grey.

My point is this, to me, Neosho is not just a town.  It is not just a place where I live.  Neosho is my home.  I have a real emotional connection here and I appreciate all the good Neosho has allowed me to experience and I hope to see others find their own good and happiness here.  But, as a friend of mine, Mike Stauffer, pointed out to me, this connection; while healthy in many regards, can blind my judgment and not allow me to see the forest for the trees.  Sometimes, one must step back from their position and get the "Ten thousand foot view".

As I began to step back to 10,000 feet and thought about what these kids were requesting with graduation, I stared at the back of my name plate, which sits before me at every School Board Meeting.  The back of the name plate says, "WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS".  I then went home and my daughter asked how I felt about the proposal to move graduation.  Chelsah is a 2014 graduate of NHS.  I told her I was inclined to vote against the idea.  She then reminded me how much she was stressed and physically ill, just 5 months earlier, as she had to decide which family members she would invite to see her graduate.  She worried about offending her Uncle Dave, when she told him she didn't have enough tickets to get him in.  Or about her adopted family, the McKeehan's, when she would have to tell them she just didn't have room.  Or her third grade teacher, Mrs. Crane.  Oh, Mrs. Crane, Chelsah loved her as a small child and then was fortunate to be able to work in her classroom as a Cadet Teacher, this past year.

As Chelsah mentioned all these people and her stress, I realized she had memories, just as I did, from my youth.  However, as most of my memories of Neosho, were fond and happy, Chelsah had a siginificant one that wasn't.  As she spoke about her graduation, she told me how she thought about the stress, the decision of who she was going to have to exclude from "her" special day.  THAT was it, my mind changed.  I got it.  I never wish for Neosho to "exclude" anyone.  WE are a community.  WE need to be together. 

The only way for the Neosho Community to be "together" for graduation, is to allow room for indoor activities to be in a larger venue, than we have available within the immediate Neosho area.  Does this mean Neosho loses something?  Does this mean Neosho is less of a great place to raise a family?  Does this mean the kids don't support area businesses?  NO, this means our children wish to share an exciting moment with as many people as they possibly can!!!

Over the past several years, I have stayed rather silent on controversies that have engulfed our Ozark Home.  I have shied away from some very important issues, as I didn't want to offend anyone on either side.  I felt there was no "winning" and someone would be mad.  Well, I made a mistake.  The ONLY side of any issue that matters, from here on is this....."What is best for Neosho".  Period!  We all need to stop finding issues to divide us and find what UNITES us.  Stop looking for reasons to attack one another and find reasons to help one another reach common goals.  Will we always agree?  Certainly not, but we can listen to one another and learn why we feel the way we do.  Let's work to make Neosho the best small town in America, together!

If we can't agree, can't we at least be civil?????????

Open Letter to Employees of Neosho R5 School District

This is an open letter to the hard working Food Service and Maintenance Workers, of the Neosho R-5 School District.  The views expressed here are my own and do not represent the opinions of the Neosho School Board, as a whole........

I wish to begin by expressing my heartfelt admiration and appreciation of the work done everyday, by each and every one of you.  Recently, I asked for the Neosho School Board to hold discussions on privatization of Food Services and Maintenance Services.  Since that proposal was made, I have heard feedback suggesting some of you were in fear of losing your jobs.  I have also heard some mis-information.  I would like to take a moment to address the reasoning behind my proposal and explain my policy stance..........

Like all School Districts, in Missouri, the Neosho R5 School District faces an uncertain financial future.  During the past two sessions of the Missouri Legislature, bills have been passed that, in my opinion, adversely effect the budgets of school districts.  Tax collection changes, from last year alone, have already caused us to lose around $500,000 in revenue.  There are Bills pending currently that if enacted are projected to cause us to lose a total of $1.2 million to $1.5 million, per year!!!  

When I ran for School Board, nearly three years ago, I promised to thoroughly examine all aspects of School Operations to help guide Neosho to being the very best, for the most reasonable investment.  I have kept that promise and this issue is a furtherance of my pledge to our community.

The Neosho School Board has enacted many cost saving measures, in the past 2 1/2 years.  For example, we have restructured the Health Care Trust and contracted with a new Third Party Administrator, which is expected to save the taxpayers $400,000 to $500,000 per year.  We have purchased new propane powered school buses, which are projected to save taxpayers $100,000 to $200,000, over 3 years.  We have refinanced outstanding Debt to lower interest rates, which is expected to save $1 million , over the next 13 years.  Point is, we, as a Board are being good managers of taxpayer money.

The proposal to privatize your specific jobs is a furtherance of these efforts and also in response to looming budget cuts, at the State Level.

First, let me assure you, the discussions about this issue are in their infancy.  There will be no back room deals, no hidden agendas, no tricks!  We will conduct meetings in the open and you or any member of the public are not only able to attend, you are encouraged to come help us plan.  Please come to our meetings!

Personally, on my own, I have been researching this proposal for more than a year.  I have spoken to several school districts and colleges, who use Private Contractors.  I have spent hours upon hours reading online studies and articles about these programs.

My motivation is simple, I desire to find out if we can save real taxpayer money, while at the same time protecting our employees and providing better services to our "customers".  I wish to find a way to provide raises to each of you in Food Service and Maintenance. About a year ago, I loudly advocated for a raise for each of you and was able to get Board support to provide a smaller than hoped for raise for the Maintenance Staff.

Being a Government Worker myself, I know the struggles of living within a limited budget.  It is difficult to make ends meet, when we don't always get cost of living raises and when pay may be lower than our neighboring School Districts.   I will NOT support any proposal to privatize that does not include some type of pay or benefit raise for each of you.  Period.  If the School District is to save money, I want you to benefit.

I feel horrible every year when I approve the School Budget knowing there are many school employees, who in my opinion, are not making a living wage.  Each of you is valued and you do important jobs that allow our School to excel.  

IF we find we can save substantial money and provide better services and better pay to you, then I am inclined to advocate for a change to privatization.  Such a scenario would be a win - win.  The Neosho Commnity Taxpayers will benefit by saving hard earned tax dollars and you will benefit with a better working environment.

IF I find your jobs will be harmed and there are limited or no cost savings, I am done.  I will not support such a change.

Superintendent Dan Decker has met with you and explained what we are after.  Please trust him and take him at his word.  Over the last year, I have come to know Dan personally and he is a man of integrity.  He cares about each of you and wants what is best for the Neosho Schools.  If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your supervisors to seek answers from Dan and he will provide you with whatever knowledge he possesses.  

Again, I encourage you to be informed.  Don't listen to rumors and fear mongering.  Come to our OPEN meetings and hear for yourself what is going on.  

I welcome your input , as honestly, I know very little about your respective jobs and you may very well point out issues I have never considered.  Working TOGETHER we will take Neosho to the top!!!!!

Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Steve Douglas
Member of the Neosho Board of Education

"...If we can't agree, can't we at least be civil?"

Progress does require sacrifice... we have to work together, for the common good of Neosho!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein, as always, are my own and in no way are representative of The Neosho School District, as an entity, or the Neosho School Board, as a whole.

I promised to have a Blog Post about tomorrow's Neosho School Bond election.  This Blog addresses questions posed, to me,which I have heard raised by Patrons of the School District.  This Blog Post is directed at those who have yet to form an opinion on the issue or those who may be leaning to the "NO" vote, but are open to consideration.  If you have questions, please comment, on this post, in the comment box below OR message me on Facebook OR e-mail me at : steve105@swbell.net.  I will do my very best to respond to each question, before polls open tomorrow.

For more detailed information, please visit the "Vote Yes for Kids" Facebook Page.

QUESTION:   Has there been a traffic study on the location where the new school is proposed to be built?

ANSWER: Yes, our architects conducted a traffic study. They used recent traffic counts obtained on roads leading into our proposed site. They estimated the traffic increase would be around 400 to 450 cars, per day. They arrived at this by estimating to the high side, figuring the area would see the addition of eighth grade traffic, only, as seventh grade is already in the area. If there are 350 to 400 kids in 8th grade, they estimated nearly half would be driven by parents. Then there was a calculation involving how many of these parents were already driving through the area, because they had children in other grades at Carver or the Middle School. The results were the existing roads can handle the increase in traffic and that the proposed location should actually reduce congestion, because they showed the opinion that a significant number of vehicles would start using Kodiak Rd. to Old Seneca Rd., to enter and exit the area. This would allow traffic relief to Norway Road and Kodiak Road to the south of Norway Rd., as people would travel away from areas they currently believe to be more congested. I understand that line of thinking, just not sure how people will act in reality. We discussed and reviewed this thoroughly, as a School Board. In addition, the TDD (Neosho Transportation Development District) projects will be bid in October 2014. That will complete Hale McGinty Dr. to an outlet at Highway 60, further pulling traffic from the side streets, around the Middle School. There also will be the addition of turn lanes at Waldo Hatler (Norway) and Hale McGinty. These projects will be completed in 2015, according to the TDD and prior to the opening of the Junior High.

QUESTION: Is a storm shelter part of the new Junior High School plans?

ANSWER:  Yes.  There will be a shelter, built to current FEMA standards, incorporated into the structure.  The exact portion of the building has yet to be determined, but according to the architects, it would most likely be the cafeteria or gymnasium portion.

QUESTION:  Did we recently pay off an old school bond?

ANSWER: No. We will not pay off the Carver Bonds (used to build Carver Elementary and make improvements to the High School), until 2026, but we refinanced them at a lower rate, late last year. Our projections are for this to free up 6 to 7.5 million dollars, within the next five to six years. If this pans out and we can pass the Junior high issue, we would like to go to the voters and ask for a no tax increase bond issue to build an addition to South School, which would allow us to not have overcrowding at the elementary levels, with new growth.

QUESTION: Why does the Neosho School District keep coming back to the voters, after we have already approved so many increases in taxes to build Benton Elementary and the Middle School?

ANSWER: We have not had an increase in taxes to pay off ANY bonds, in more than 40 years. With the exception of the 2006 Carver Bonds. The last tax increase to pay off bonds, was approved in the late 1960's to build South School. The Neosho School District has faced an overcrowding problem, for more than 25 years. The failure of voters to approve bond sales led past school boards to build Benton Elementary and The Neosho Middle School with funds borrowed on 'Lease Purchase Agreements", from financial institutions. The problem with this action is.... in order to repay lease purchase agreements a school district has to use money, from their operating accounts. This is the same account we use to supplement pay to our Teachers. This account is also used for the day to day operations of the school. Therefore, any money spent on lease purchase agreements come directly at the sacrifice of money needed for kids.

In addition, the Neosho School District has never had enough money available, in the operating account, to actually address our needs with lease purchase funds. This has led to the horrible parking issue, at the Neosho Middle School, and other substandard features, such as no plumbing or ability to expand a large portion of the middle school. I have heard many people complain about features of both Benton and the Middle School....most poor design features are a direct result of no community support to build a structure properly.

QUESTION: Can the School District use lease purchase money to build the Junior High, if this issue fails?

ANSWER: NO, we don't have the funds coming into our operating account to satisfy this need. We simply can not afford this needed structure, without the approval of bonds to be sold.

QUESTION: Has the District thoroughly researched the "need" for a Junior High and is the "right" plan, for Neosho?

ANSWER: YES!!!! I have personally been involved in several of the past bond campaigns and I personally feel this particular issue has been more thought out, than any others. This is an excellent plan, for Neosho's real needs.

If this issue passes, we will free up much needed space, in the High School, by taking 8th grade out. In addition, we free up room in the Middle School, by removing 7th grade. Both the High School and the Middle School are terribly overcrowded.

We have studied every aspect of this plan. We hired a demographic company to project future growth, so we would be able to build this structure to our needs 5 to 7 years down the road. You may think this sounds like a short period of time, and it is, but I can only honestly use "5 to 7 years", as that is the only amount of time valid to a study of population growth. We certainly expect this building to meet our needs 10 years out, but our population study is not valid at that distance of time.

We hired a Nationally recognized survey company to "poll" your wishes, as patrons, and you told us a Junior High was what we needed. We asked our professional School Administrators to study our overcrowding and they said we needed a Junior High, to adress our needs. We hired Sapp Design Associates of Springfield, Mo., as our Architects, they studied the issue and developed a Master Plan, for the District, their plan result? We were advised to build a Junior High!

Everyone of our experts told us we needed a Junior High and it was researched from every angle possible, with the money we had available.

Severe Weather Forecasting IS about saving lives.... NOT hype and ratings!!!!

I may certainly live to regret, this blog post, but as you all know I am not one to shy away from my opinion, so here it goes......

I enjoy weather research and weather forecasting.  As you most likely know, I REALLY enjoy severe weather.  Severe weather forecasting is important to me, because I care about giving back to the community and helping people.  I want to be clear here, I am NOT an expert forecaster and have NO formal training, so take my opinion for what it is worth.... It is free!

I write to you, this evening, frustrated by the local media, in the Joplin Market.  There is a lot of hype about tomorrow's winter storm.  Headlines about advice from electricians and what to do if your power goes out.  That is important information to know, SO I do not intend to minimize their advice.  My concerns lie with what is actually being forecasted, by the professionals, at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield, Mo. and Tulsa, Ok.  These professionals ARE forecasting freezing rain, for much of the four state area, tomorrow night and into Sunday.  BUT.........................

As I review the forecast and look at the projected ice amounts, I would like to bring some reality (in my opinion, to this hype):

The map, above, has been released by the NWS Springfield Office, and is valid as of 02-28-2014, at 18:30 hours (that is 6:30 p.m.).  Look closely, at the projected accumulations of ice, .10 (1/10th) to .50 (1/2) inch of ice is projected, by the professionals.  To put this into perspective, in December of 2013, just a couple of months ago, we had a similar ice storm with accumulations of .50 to .75 inch of ice.  Some people DID lose power, particularly in SE Kansas and areas of West Central Missouri.  These outages were brief and did not cause major life threatening emergencies. 

I also acknowledge the forecast is for 30 mph winds, tomorrow night, which may cause some tree branches to fall.  Again, this is similar to the December 2013 storm.

My concern is this, people in the 4-State Area, panic when they hear "Ice Storm" and "Power Outages" and for good reason!!!  We recall December 1987 and January of 2007.  Those were devastating storms with catastrophic losses.  People were out of power for weeks!  People had life threatening emergencies, during both of those historical events.

I wish to bring some calm, to this forecast, and as I stated, at the beginning, I hope I don't live to regret this blog post; HOWEVER, here I go...... this storm will NOT be anywhere near the proportion of those past historic storms.  This storm will bring some inconveniences to us and will most likely make travel hazardous to inadvisable, BUT it is NOT going to close down our communities and cause unrest in the street!!!

I find it irresponsible of media outlets to hype the storm with headlines that "scare" people.  It is wrong.  I try to be as accurate as possible, when I make weather posts, where others rely on me.  The broadcast media has WAY more responsibility to you, than I do, BUT they care about ratings and making advertising dollars. 

Please do watch the weather for updated forecasts and plan accordingly.  Be safe, as you travel and slow down.  Carry winter survival gear and extra food, if you must be out.  Check with the NWS Springfield's website, which may be found by clicking here.  But, Please don't believe all the hype and panic.  I have seen social media remarks from people who are fearful of this storm.  I don't see it being as bad as what some are predicting, as far as the power interruptions go.

I make mistakes and I usually fall victim to Murphy's Law, so if I am wrong here, I will be the first to admit it, BUT as I sit here tonight, I don't believe the HYPE!  Have a safe weekend! 

If we can't agree (with the broadcast media), can't we at least be civil?????????

Building Trust Builds Our Community

  

Alison Croggon, who is an author, from Australia, said, “We are all mistaken sometimes; sometimes we do wrong things, things that have bad consequences. But it does not mean we are evil, or that we cannot be trusted ever afterward.”  I find this quotation to be fitting to explain past actions of the Neosho Schools.  I ran for the School Board believing there was a need for change.  I hoped to be a small part of improving things, I perceived to be wrong, and to build upon things I thought were good.  I have learned a lot in my two years on the Neosho School Board.  I ALWAYS knew the importance of trust, but I have come to respect trust from an entirely new perspective and I would like to take a few moments of your time to tell my story.......


Neosho is a strong community, which each of us loves or we would not be raising our Families here.  As with all things in life, we see things differently, as our current beliefs are based on past experiences.  Tonight, I had a good honest discussion with a friend, about the Neosho School Board.  My friend told me how difficult it was to get good solid information about our proposed new Junior High.  He went on to tell me how much he supported the cause of building a new Junior High, as his children would attend.  But, he kindly explained how hard it was to "trust" the School Board, due to past decisions and perceptions.  I really appreciated him saying this, as I "get it".  I understand.  I had issues of trust, with the Neosho Schools and that is one reason I wanted to take action and be a part of a solution.

As we work toward building trust with the community, I feel it is vital to go back to the quote, from Alison Croggon........ having trust does NOT mean a person will not make mistakes.  I want to say that again, you trust people, who DO make mistakes.  No person is perfect and to expect perfection is to set yourself up for disappointment.  Instead, you should expect accountability, honesty, and ethical decisions.

Over the last two years, which is all I can honestly address, because I have been a part of the inner workings and decision making within the schools; I can assure you no one has made decisions not intended to help kids.  The School Board has drastically cut down on the use of Closed Meetings, using them only when they are necessary to conduct personnel business and other narrow topics allowed by law.  We have done this with the hope of improving transparency and increasing attendance, from the public, at our meetings.  We have had limited success, in increasing attendance.  I hope to see that change and I encourage you to attend our meetings and ask questions of us.  The ONLY way to have good democratic representation is to be involved, stay informed, and ask questions.

Over the last seven months, in particular, with a great new Superintendent - Dan Decker - on board, we have tackled many issues.  We have focused on problems.  Some of these problems we were aware of, when Dan was hired, some of them cropped up along the way, but we have worked to correct them.  We have worked to build three very important tornado safe rooms at the High School, Carver Elementary, and South Elementary.  We have worked to bring lap top computers to every child, at the High School, in order to better their access to information and to improve the quality of instruction.  We have worked to thoroughly investigate, discuss, and plan for a 24 million dollar bond issue, which would fund a new Junior High.  We have worked toward implementation of an improved training program, for ALL of our employees, which will go into effect next year.  We have examined ways to save tax payer dollars, through improvements to our Health Care Plan, which is expected to save us nearly a half million dollars a year, and through the purchase of school buses powered by propane, which we expect will save us around $4,000 per year - per bus.  Point is, we have been very busy!

Being so close to this work, has allowed me to make a huge mistake and not keep YOU the people as informed as I should have.  This is YOUR school, YOUR community, YOUR money.  I sometimes assume, since I know what the school is doing - well you do, too!  That is obviously false and naive, of me!  I apologize and I vow to work harder to get information to you.  HOW?  Well, I don't have that figured out yet and I am wide open for suggestions!  My friend suggested we send letters, with updates on important issues, home with the children.  That is a good suggestion.... do you have others?????  If we can start a healthy dialogue, we can build trust and solve problems, together!

I try to be an open and approachable individual.  A huge part of my personality is just laying things out there and saying it how I see it, SO to that end; I want each of you to know..... I LOVE Neosho, I really do.  I want this community to be the very best around.  I want each of you to love life and prosper, with the opportunities we build TOGETHER.  It is frustrating, to me, to be so passionate and work so hard to BUILD a better community and then to see hiccups, obstacles, whatever one may call them, raise their ugly head and be misunderstood, by others.  In all relationships, there will be mistakes, there will be those moments we wish we could "have back", but that is not reality..... we all know this....... in those moments we wish we could "have back".... there are lessons for each of us.... lessons if we calmly examine, will allow us to solve the real problem and move Neosho ahead.

As for the school bond issue, we will work hard to get all the facts out to you.  We desire transparency and good factual information.  There are NO hidden agendas, by anyone on the school board.  All seven of us have the same passion and desire---to make the best public school system possible!

Please consider attending one of our meetings.  The dates and times are generally posted on our school website at www.neoshopublicschools.net     We are nothing, without YOU.

 Have we made mistakes? Yes.  Are we working to correct them?  Certainly.  Will we openly discuss them with you?  Yes.  Do we want to build trust with you and prevent future mistakes?  YES!!!!


If we can't agree, can't we at least be civil..............................   

Bullying is a serious issue and MUST stop!

Bullying is a VERY serious issue and must be dealt with, by us all working TOGETHER!


Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-author of "Letting Go with Love and Confidence: Raising Responsible, Resilient, Self-Sufficient Teens in the 21st Century.", says,"Character is about doing the right thing when nobody is watching or when it's hard to do.  The person with character says, 'not in my presence.' "

According to statistics provided on www.stopbullying.gov  , the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported more than 1 in 4 kids, grades 6 to 12 were involved in some type of bullying, in 2008 - 2009 school year (latest available numbers).

Recently, the Neosho School District has come under scrutiny for an alleged act of bullying, on one of our buses.  The Neosho Schools take bullying very seriously, unfortunately, in my opinion, the manner in which this incident has been handled has served to harm the cause of anti-bullying efforts.  Please allow me to explain and realize I in no way intend to minimize the allegations being made, also realize, due to The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), I am not going to be able to discuss the specific situation, of the child, rather my focus - here is on teamwork.

The recent incident has led to an online attack of the Neosho School District and a couple of our Administrator's.  I want to emphatically defend our Administration and assure you they will deal with ANY situation of bullying, brought to their attention!  Safety of ALL children, within our community is our number one priority.  I have seen several parents allege inaction, by the Neosho School District, with regards to bullying.... to this I ask, to whom have you complained?  I have been on the school board, for nearly two years, and I am unaware of any complaints being brought before the school board, because a parent felt they had not been resolved by our staff.  The Neosho School District has anti-bullying efforts in place and has aggressively trained staff to deal with this pressing issue.

If any parent feels they have an issue with their child, particularly the safety of their child, I encourage them to follow the procedure and discuss the situation with the Principal involved.  If, after that meeting, they feel their concerns have not been addressed; then contact our Administrative Office and speak to an Assistant Superintendent OR the Superintendent.

Now, here is my real concern and point of today's Blog..... notice my terminology - two paragraphs up - when I say the word "attack".  I know people, myself included, have felt "attacked" over this issue and that is most unfortunate.  We ALL want to prevent any bullying and keep kids safe.  Any time, ANY person, or entity is placed on the defensive it detracts from the main issue.  It is just human nature.  If someone makes statements against you, your family, etc; you - most likely - will feel a bit ruffled and emotions will rise.  That is counter productive to what really needs to happen with all serious matters.

I have noticed many people "liking" a facebook page related to this incident and I wonder.... instead of just "liking" a page, what real effort could all of us make to prevent bullying all across Neosho?  We can make threats to go to this agency or that agency, to seek legal counsel, or degrade one another in public forums, BUT unfortunately - at the end of the day - kids are still being bullied!           Why?              Because, ALL serious matters REQUIRE teamwork to be solved.  We must work TOGETHER to face this issue and educate people to end the cycles.  There are many reasons children bully other children.

Education, teamwork, counseling, and a UNITED front are the ONLY ways we are going to keep our kids safe.  I have seen enough division, in the Neosho Community.  It is time it comes to an end.  I think there are many positive actions in progress, to make Neosho an even greater place to live...... I hope we can SOON add positive team action to prevent bullying - to the list of Neosho's great efforts!

Please visit www.stopbullying.gov to learn more.

If we can't agree, let's at least be civil.........

Neosho Junior High Proposal - UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL.....

 

 

This is an illustrative EXAMPLE ONLY and not meant to serve as a FINAL example of the proposed Junior High.  I include this picture, simply to assist the reader with orientation to the land, involved, and the design to which we are proposing. Actual road design and building location, may change in the coming weeks.

 As many of you are well aware, our Neosho School Board has voted to place a bond issue on the April 8th Election Ballot.  As the Issue draws closer, I will be posting additional statements, to my Blog, in the hopes of answering questions.  HOWEVER, today's blog is about Me and the Great People of the Neosho Community.  This IS about our future.  

This is the great flag of Missouri.  If you look closely, at the seal, in the center, you will see the words; "United We Stand Divided We Fall".  We, the People of Neosho, must pause and seriously think about this, as we consider the Bond Issue, for a New Junior High.

I have heard from people, who preferred the "Taylor Property", as the location for the building.  Some of these people have told me they will oppose this issue, because it is not being located there.  I liked the Taylor Property, as well.  It has many great benefits and features that would be awesome, for any structure, but the reality is I am one vote of seven and it was clear the majority liked the property, near George Washington Carver Elementary.  So, let's have an honest discussion about that property AND our core beliefs....................

I have not yet heard from anyone who disagrees Neosho has an overcrowding problem that MUST be addressed.  We all, for the most part, seem to agree on that!!!!

IF we each intend to only vote for a plan that suits our specific desires and needs, we will NEVER build a school and improve our community.  In every community, people have to compromise and work together to each get some of what they want.

I share concerns about the traffic congestion around the Carver Property, BUT I want to assure you all, we have seriously considered this and here is what I know today; the City of Neosho and The Neosho Transporation Development District have declared a truce.  The TDD project IS moving ahead.  With that said, soon, Hale McGinty Drive, by the Neosho Middle School, will soon be a through Street to an access point with US 60.  Once that happens, there will undoubtedly be improved traffic flow around the Middle School.

In addition to the improved flow around the Middle School, we will be shifting some traffic from that facility to the New Junior High, as Seventh Grade students will no longer be attending the Middle School.  The ONLY new traffic, into the area, will be from the Eighth Grade students.  Looking objectively, at the Carver Property, there is access, from the south on Kodiak Road, the West on Norway Road, and the North on Kodiak Rd., from say the area of Old Seneca Road.  Point is, there are relief points to the traffic in this proposed area.

Can I promise you will not wait a few minutes in traffic??? NO, I can not make that promise.  BUT, can I promise we will alleviate overcrowding and build a Junior High that will suit our needs into the foreseeable future?  YES!!!! I can promise you that.  I can also tell you, our plans include the new Junior High being built with a Tornado Safe Room large enough to house all the students on the campus.

We will never come up with a perfect plan, for everyone.  But, everyone can perfectly plan to improve Neosho.  

The time for bickering is past.  Has our School District made mistakes?  Yes, I believe so.  The District is operated by human beings, who are not perfect.  Do all of the people associated with our District have the communities best interests at heart?  YES!  I do not question their heart and desire to do the very best by your children.

We can complain about the past, the plan, and the cost, BUT it will not change our needs.  The cost will only get greater, the past will always be in the past, the plan will never be 100 percent for everyone.  

Open your mind, step back and dream about what YOU want for Neosho....... now, tell me do we get to your dreams by uniting together or dividing, from one another???????

If we can't agree, can't we at least be civil..............................................