ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 4, 1996 TAG: 9604040060
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
WELL, ON to Plan B, whatever that turns out to be.
It's a shame Roanoke County voters rejected Tuesday's bond issue for a new Cave Spring High School. It was a sensible, if imperfect, solution to the overcrowding caused by population pressures in Southwest County.
The world, however, hasn't ended. Now the county - the whole county - must put this divisive vote behind, and move on.
Those who voted "no," or didn't vote at all, in hopes of a more perfect solution may be waiting awhile. The county presumably will put out some cash to fix the most pressing problems at Cave Spring junior and senior highs, as well as shuffle attendance lines a bit between Cave Spring and Hidden Valley junior highs. But the trailers will stay. And don't expect Cave Spring ninth-graders to be attending high school in the foreseeable future.
Those who voted "no," or didn't vote, out of frustration with real-estate assessments, water bills or tax rates, or all of the above, have likely only deferred the expense of a new high school. The population of Southwest County is growing; the kids must be educated. Stopgap fixes now and a new school later will add up to higher costs in the long run.
Those who voted "no," or didn't vote, because there wasn't much in the referendum for their own children's schools have probably slowed the progress of school projects across the county. Roanoke County's political division makes it is easier for parents and others interested in quality schools to regard their interests as limited to buildings within their magisterial district. But there is only one Roanoke County school district. Improvements in one area raise the standard to be met in all, allowing progress to continue - a piece at a time - in all quarters.
So the question now is: What can be done, without the bond issue, to accommodate Southwest County's growth for the benefit of the entire county?
The proposal offered Tuesday was by no means the most expensive alternative for handling the student influx. But, given the voters' verdict, county officials would do well to look beyond the five options seriously considered, and seek out creative ideas for a long-term plan that might cost less without compromising the quality of education.
Bond opponents from throughout the county, who expressed worry about everything from the cost of a new school to its proposed site, should join supporters in brainstorming ideas for addressing a need that can't be voted away. They also should affirm that maintaining the status quo isn't an option. County schools are well-regarded now; that doesn't mean they always will be. The world is changing - so must education.
Including civic education. "My son graduated from William Fleming. Our grandchildren live [in the city]. We're both retired. How's it going to benefit us?" asked one Northside taxpayer who voted against the bond issue. It's easy to dismiss such parochialism.
But inadequate support in Southwest County itself helped assure the referendum's defeat, as did the lack of a unifying political vision for the county, strongly and consistently promoted by elected supervisors and school board. As they contemplate old and new options, county leaders should talk more about the entire community's interest in preparing young people to become competent providers and responsible citizens.
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