Is that really an editorial?

I am still upset about YESTERDAY’s “school news” where the Superintendent declared that the people in Highlawn who think keeping a neighborhood school could save their neighborhood are wrong.  Superintendent defends decision.  First off, what expertise does he have in this area?  Secondly, it is just rude.  He manages to slam any families who rent their homes at the same time, too.  And then the article goes on to say that plans are being made to re-utilize the Beverly Hill Middle School building for a consolidated Geneva Kent and Altizer Elementary.  I’ve heard this before, but it strikes me as ridiculous to claim, on the one hand, that the building is not sufficient for instructing middle school children (too dark and not built/planned to fit today’s curricula, is I believe how it has been put), while, on the other hand, it OUGHT to be used to house even younger kids (who, in my opinion, are better served, again, by maintaining their smaller, neighborhood schools).  Not to harp on the obesity issue again, but putting kids in a school they cannot possibly walk to, with possibly limited playground space (I’m not sure about the playground possibilities at BH, but I thought I’d heard complaints that it was landlocked, and it has been a middle school, where, typically CC does not have playgrounds or recess–even though middle school experts say they ought to) cannot help with the report from just a few days ago that our kids aren’t getting enough exercise or healthy food.

Then I get up today and find that the Herald Dispatch has even MORE lovely, depressing news for me.  On the Opinions page, of all places, is a nice big story about how the Miller school building has about one year to find a taker before it is demolished.  Editorial: Miller building has year to find new use or be demolished .  I cannot figure out how THIS is an OPINION, really, and how the HD editorial board has not mentioned the whole Highlawn/Enslow/BH thing recently.

I do not have any particular thing for the Miller building, but it is a LOVELY old building (high ceilings and hardwood floors, gorgeous windows on the stairwells…) and I did sort of dream that I could get it to be an alternative school.  If it is knocked down, not only is it a waste, but that will be one less wonderful venue for a different type of school in Huntington.  I would love to buy it myself to save it from destruction, but I doubt that I can find the funds to convince the school board that I would be able to maintain it.  We need some sort of a great entrepreneur type to help, because if we had a couple of shops or offices in the building, it could easily be a community-oriented building and house a school, too..  There is a gym with a stage, a kitchen, one “newer” part of the building with bathrooms and 6 classrooms, the older/main part of the building with the offices, 13 more classrooms, each with a sink and a coatroom and those high ceilings and hardwood floors, and a couple of smaller office-type rooms.  There are large bathrooms in the basement (with two of the classrooms and two large closets), on the main floor and the third floor there are half-baths located in two of the office-type rooms.  It is on 12th Ave and 7th St and only a couple of blocks from Ritter Park.

If you are the sort of person who knows what to do with a space like this, please email me  (if you want me involved, lol) or get in touch with someone at the BOE office!  Maybe the EAGLE would like to develop a real full-time building presence??