Long-term plan: Looking forward best way to prevent facilities repeat

The Facilities Master Plan Education Process Focus Committee has turned in its recommendations for the next step for school facilities in Wayne County.

And chief among its findings is that we need to do it right this time, so 10-20 years from now, we will not be wondering where we are going to get money to patch together another generation’s schools.

There could be no wiser, or truer, statement.

By giving this facilities process a long-term view, the committee, and the other school and county officials who will make the decisions later, will make sure Wayne County taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and that the needs of the county’s schoolchildren are met properly.

The easiest decision when it comes to spending money is to go the cheap and temporary route. The number that you present to taxpayers is smaller — and most of them are happier.

It is much harder to set a course of action that looks farther down the road and apportions money with economy and return on investment in mind.

By fixing the problem now, and making sure there is a long-term maintenance plan in place, the taxpayers could actually save money — and have good schools.

With that end as its goal, it is hard to imagine how the facilities debate could result in anything except what is best for the county and its schools.

Published in Editorials on December 19, 2006 11:26 AM