In about two months, School District 44 patrons will go to the polls to decide whether they want to upgrade the Dorchester School campus and replace the main building built in 1927. In the meantime, the Times has learned another school open house will be held Wednesday, July 4, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., for patrons who would like to see conditions for themselves.According to the information sent to us, all members of the public are welcome to stop by and look around. Tours will be conducted.
As reported previously, the school board is considering a $3.9 million replacement project (Option #2) in lieu of the renovating the school's main 80-year-old structure.
At the July 16 meeting, the board is expected to select a 15-, 20- or 25-year bond schedule. However, voters must first approve the bonding authority in September 11 election before bonds can be issued or reconstruction can begin.
Wednesday's open house will be the school's second in less then 10 weeks. An informational meeting and open house was attended by more than 80 district residents in early May.
Dorchester:
ReplyDeleteI am not a resident of Dorchester, but I do live nearby in Crete. I'm sure all of the Times readers snicker at the mention of living in Crete. And you know why. I am leaving this comment in response to a comment left a few days back insinuating that this blog has only brought harm to your community.
Wake up people. In fifteen or so years, you will not have a town unless you take responsibility for the future. Controversy will always accompany growth. There will always be individuals who think their way is the right way... but their way is only the status quo. At the Times, you see ideas, the pros and cons, and results. Dorchester folk are active!
You've seen how Crete has changed in 10-15 years. And most of you would not say for the better. Don't push away those things that will probably end up saving your town. Quit being so stubborn and negative. Quit complaining and welcome the vehicles of postive change.
I wish Crete had a blog like this to discuss how we could make our town better. Everyone is moving out of Crete because they don't like where the town is. I'm staying and I'm trying.
And I applaud the Times for encouraging village members to get active and save a town that will very likely die in 20 years. Unfortunately, this is the reality. Quit complaining and change it.
Anonymous -- Your comments have been rejected. You were warned earlier about sending multiple comments within only a couple of minutes of one another.
ReplyDeleteFor your information, we do not have "an inside track" with the school or its board members. In fact, none of our editors have any connection to any board member or administration official. However, we did receive an e-mail alerting us to the open house and asking us to consider posting the news. We agreed the news was relevant to our readers.
The next time you have a personal question of us, send us an e-mail at Dorchester.Times@gmail.com. We would love to answer all your enlightened, good-intentioned inquiries.
crete dweller, i think alot of people are complaning about change, crete is a town of 4,000, and were a town of 615, how can we afford a new school, we don't have enough growth, how can we support it, unlike crete, thats keeps growing. this will put a hardship on alot of elderly, and the average families that live here. dont get me wrong, a new school would be great, but at what cost to the average family.
ReplyDeleteIf we do not build a new school and we end up consolidating or maybe even just closing and having to send our children to another district, there is a BIG chance that there will be some families moving out of Dorchester and into the districts where their children will be going to school. Then, there will be less people to spread the taxes around to and your taxes will go up anyway. So, pay an average of $17 more a month (per $100,000 home) and take the chance of growing this town... or let the town go to waste, let the people move, and you can share more taxes? Plus, like said in earlier blogs, there are tax exemptions the elderly can file for. We need to quit making excuses and get into the 21st century. If we don't, we will not have a town much longer.
ReplyDeleteI applaud the Dorchester Times. This newsletter has done more for our town in the last few months, than anything else in the last 10 years! People are becoming aware of the situations surrounding them and hopefully are ready to make a change!
It's strange that a few people are obsessed with Friend. We in Dorchester have always had more in common with Crete economically and socially. I agree with the crete dweller. It's a shame what has happened to that community. Drive through downtown crete on any given saturday night and tell me all is OK. Too much change, too soon. It overwhelmed the system. The reason Crete become a magnet for illegal aliens is partly because the town catered to the illegal workers.
ReplyDeleteIf Dorchester merged with another small school we would find ourselves in the same situation as Crete. Because of state mandates I'm willing to be we would be forced to provide English As A Second Language instructors. We would be paying to educate the kids of renters/non-property owners who send most of their wages south of the bordrer, not reinvesting in our community. Educational quality would suffer. If we consolidate I can promise you we would pay more in property taxes to pay for a $20 million new school instead of $4 million improvement.
this article makes is sound like our schools conditions are bad, well maybe it is, but its to bad the old super wouldnt fix things up and let them get so bad, maintence goes with everthing, o well. also can anyone put it in writing that these are the exacted cost. there is always things that are hidden, and after its done i hope we all dont get a big surprise.
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear from some of the people that took a tour of the school yesterday afternoon. I can tell you I didn't go, but I have heard the Math room busting full of desks, there is barely any room to move. To me, that just isn't fair to our students.
ReplyDeleteI took a tour of the school on the 4th. I thought that the classrooms were very small and there is no room for storage yes the smallest was the math room. When I went to school at Dorchester I would be boiling hot becuase my desk was pushed all the way to the back of the room. I remember when the bell rang between classes how crowded the hallways got and that was 10 years ago, I can't imagine how much MORE crowded it is now. Bottom line the old school has got to go, it is not safe and not up to par for the amount of children that go there.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there will also be another tour on July 26th in the evening. If anyone knows the exact time, please respond to this.
ReplyDeleteThis will be another good chance for the people in our district to take a look at the school.
I encourage everyone to try to make at least one tour of the school. Even if you are absolutely against it, it doesn't hurt to actually see what the school looks like inside. Then if you still think the school is in great condition, you can go ahead and vote "No", but please don't vote "No" without having anything to back your vote.
Old sweat, floor wax and sewer. The first thing that I noticed was the smell. It smelled like an old locker room full of stinky practice jerseys and socks. And this was once you stepped in the main doors.
ReplyDeleteOnce inside you notice, at first glance, not a whole lot has changed. Yeah, office locations, classroom layouts and color schemes may change, but basically everything is the same. Same outdated carpet, same collection of books, same desks and tables. I thought, “Well, maybe things aren’t so bad, I learned with them and survived.” “Why can’t they do it?” “At least they have air-conditioned rooms now.”
With a closer inspection of the surroundings, you start to realize some of the other things that still have not changed, plumbing problems, electrical constraints, efficiency, safety and enforcement limitations. Water fountains barely work and bathrooms are still stained and filthy. Tile flooring is chipped and loose, the fiber ceiling tile is disintegrating, paint is peeling. If you want a hallway, stairway or landing this school has plenty of them. While architectural nuances of the 1927 style these hallways, stairways and landings also prove to be wasted spaces, logistical nightmares. How can you safely monitor the traffic? Can you effectively use the floor area of the winding turns of stairwells?
As I continued around the school, it became evident: The most glaring problem in this school is space. The rooms are now jam-packed with desks, overflowing with students. The math room is probably the worst, but the others are not far behind. There is insufficient storage for each classroom. Shelves and shelves of textbooks and other literature line the walls of all classrooms, making the space problem even worse. Does this provide a suitable learning environment? The teaching paradigm has changed. Out are the note-taking lectures of yesterday, In is the approach of interactive learning, coupled with ever-evolving computer skills. Computers, servers and networking hubs are located all over the place and take up precious space that once held students. Here, rooms that previously held one class adequately are now partitioned off, in order to house the necessary computers and classes to make 21st century learning possible. Is it feasible to get rid of the computers? Hardly.
I made the last of my rounds, going from room to room, reminiscing about stories and people from the past. But, this isn’t about the past it’s about the future. It’s about providing an environment that is suitable and safer for students. It’s about creating a place that makes learning exciting and enjoyable. It’s about constructing a setting that will change the perception that Dorchester is a dying town, to one where Dorchester is mindful of the future and is willing to embrace generations to come. It’s about sending the right message to the kids, letting them know you believe in their potential.
The old girl is 80 years old. She has done her part educating hundreds; it’s time for her to go.