The Condition and Aging of School Facilities

By Cindi Arthur

While it is true that vandalism, carelessness and disregard have taken its toll, the simple fact is that neglect is the biggest culprit. The neglect has not necessarily been the fault of any one or group of individuals but possibly a result of declining budgets, enrollments, and higher priorities. In the course of dealing with these other factors and priorities, repairs to our facilities have been postponed and put on hold so often that we are now faced with insurmountable repairs and costs.

Individual school staff members, students, parents and coaches who find conditions of classrooms, grounds, restrooms, locker rooms, etc. totally "unacceptable" have taken matters into their own hands. Instead of being able to focus on their own priorities they have spent many hours of their own time and often their own funds to rehabilitate facilities in order to bring them to usable condition.

It is time to stop lamenting on how and why our schools have become so deplorable. We must focus on what our next steps are and how we get there. New sources of funding must be found and together we need to explore new and creative ways to spend the funds available.