Community shares thoughts on SJSD’s long-range plan approval

By Jazmine Knight

With the St. Joseph school board approving the long-range plan at its Aug. 26 meeting, community members have mixed opinions on the next steps for St. Joseph schools.

The long-range plan lays out goals to eventually build two new St. Joseph School District high schools, improving the school feeder system. The plan was approved Monday 6-0, with board member Kim Miller abstaining.

The next stage in the process will be asking for voter approval of a bond in either 2025 or 2026 to build a new school. The plan details contingencies if the bonds are rejected by voters.

Some community members think new high schools will provide better educational opportunities. Others, however, are concerned with the price tag and seeing schools they care about close.

St. Joseph resident Chris Brown said his initial thought was, “How much is this going to cost?”

“Cost is obviously a big issue for taxpayers,” Brown said. “However, I truly believe that having two schools, whether it be new or renovated, is better than three.”

From his understanding, Brown said he believes the three high schools are currently a bit under-utilized. Even though he didn’t grow up here, Brown has an 11-year-old in St. Joseph schools and two children who will attend in the future.

He said there are other issues that should be addressed before worrying about new schools.

“Some of the buildings didn’t have air conditioning in some of the classrooms,” he said. “We need to address teacher pay. Having one of the lowest in the nation is not acceptable.”

Even with Proposition S raising teachers’ salaries by $2,750, Brown said it’s still not enough.

“With the cost of inflation going up nearly 30 (%) to 35% … $2,700, that’s just a couple hundred dollars a month, barely buys you an extra set of groceries,” Brown said.

He said if a new school is the solution, security and curriculum are very important to him. Having more career-focused programs would make him happy as a parent.

“A lot of that comes with needing more teachers. which costs money and more money means more taxes,” Brown said. “ I think they’ll do the best they can with the limited funds they have.”

Brown hopes the district can make an overall improvement to entice people to live here.

“I’ve been here for 10 years now, and the city really hasn’t grown,” he said.

Tammy Johnson, a grandparent, said new isn’t always better. She said there must be careful consideration with any decision the district makes.

“If it can be refurbished, I think that’s always a good idea,” Johnson said. “It’s good to research, get all your numbers and data and the community’s ideas and thoughts before you make a decision.”

Johnson said she has a heart for older buildings. Even though she’s on the fence about the plan, she hopes the well-being of the kids is the central focus behind every decision.

“Why do you need a new school? Is it just for the school district to look good?” she said.

Johnson hopes the district considers those who graduated or are connected to the area high schools. She fears that if the current high schools aren’t utilized, alumni won’t come and support financially or even at sporting events.

“You want your alumni to come back and support. Sometimes when you get rid of old things then people don’t have that connection,” she said. “But at the same time, they could also be excited about the new school and programs and want to be part of that, too.”

She said it’s all about giving people a voice.

“Not just that they get to speak, but they’re also truly valued and listened to,” Johnson said.

In terms of two new high schools, Johnson wants to see as many programs and facilities as possible.

Johnson suggests the district uses emails, social media and community gatherings to gain public input on the long-range plan.

“I’m a big advocate of the arts. Don’t just do a room, but create beautiful areas that stimulate, and help the kids grow in different aspects, not just for one group of people, but for all groups of people,” she said.

Brown said regardless of what the future of these schools look like, it’s not the building that makes the schools.

“It’s the people, the teachers, the administration. That’s what really makes the experience. Not just a bunch of walls. So my gut tells me we should probably renovate,” he said.

For Johnson, she leans more toward renovating as well. For her, it depends on the cost.

“If it costs too much to fix, at that point, then the money is better spent towards the new school. But to me, if you can still use the old buildings, then I think that’s always a good idea,” Johnson said.

School district officials said there’s still a lot more that needs to be discussed as far as the long-range plan. Superintendent Gabe Edgar said they still need to decide if this will be an April 2025 or an April 2026 ballot issue. The board will also need to discuss locations for the two new high schools if applicable.