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Mr. DeTreville suggests that since The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet are owned by the same company a conflict of interest may exist in The Gazette’s editorial suggestion that money for a north-area high school be used to build a new school in Bluffton.
The obvious but flip answer is that since The Gazette is a private business, its opinion can be anything that the editorial board determines. I don’t think that common sense creates a conflict of interest.
A more reasoned opinion would be that we have to put aside parochialism and spend taxpayer money wisely. We all live in the same county.
One reader suggests that the money be spent for additional classrooms at Coosa Elementary School, where a kindergarten class attends school in a mobile unit.
While these students deserve to be in a classroom, Bluffton Elementary School has 21 mobile classrooms on its campus. The 6-year-old school was built for 550 students, but it has at least 840 students.
Like it or not, Bluffton is a fast-growing area and it needs additional classrooms soon.
The suggestion was merely a stopgap measure. Money for a north-area high school would be included in the next school-building referendum.
But the school board probably will build a north-area high school — just not in Dale. But the wiser plan would be to build a good vocational high school that consolidates the heavy-duty and costly programs under one centrally located roof.
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I've just read the timetable for the "Beaufort County Schools Building Program - Draft Schedule". For everyones' information the Bluffton area is scheduled for construction of three new elementary schools by 2009 and revovation of a Hilton Head Elementary earlier than that. Meanwhile Beaufort Elementary and St. Helena's Elementary will have renovations completed by 2009 as well. However, Coosa Elementary will wait until 2014 for its renovations to begin. No new elementary schools are planned for Lady's Island which I've read in the papers as being the second fastest growing area of Beaufort County, second only to Bluffton.
And now you know the plans.
Clearly, Lady's Island is being shortchanged to benefit the Bluffton area. Yes, we are all one county, but Lady's Island is not getting its fair share.
Very well said elida987.Ladies Island is definately getting short changed.Ladies Island Middle School has trailers for classrooms. Ladies Island Elementry (at least for the past 2 years) had it's nurses room in a small trailer.And alot of the rooms have more children then need be.