FWCS Doing The "Shuffle"...

Last night's board meeting was a good watch, if you happened to catch it. FWCS is looking at other options in spending that $500 million (actually more like $850 million including interest on bonds). They still *plan* to spend the whole enchilada, as oposed to cutting that number back a bit, but at least the Wayne-Elmhurst consolidation is off the table at this time.

FWCS board V.P. Mark GiaQuinta is impressing me more and more by the questions he poses. For example, I was telling my wife that *if* I were on the board, I'd want to see the ORIGINAL costs for the schools when they went up, and not more than 4 hours later, Mark made the SAME statement. Now in some respects, it scares me to think that someone else has the same thought processes as I do, and yet, it IS a valid point.

Perhaps some corners WERE cut during the construction of some schools. How many times have we found buildings that suffer from faults due to shoddy craftsmanship, or poor design? And how many times does that lead to some sort of structural failure. Anyone recall back in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (affectionately known as "Galloping Gertie") in Washington state that swayed and shook itself to pieces within MONTHS after it opened?

Guest speakers (read average citizens) made impassioned pleas to keep elementary schools open as well. Some board members even brought up the fact that perhaps some of these schools were built hurredly, citing the "style" used in the construction, compared with the older schools, built like granite monolithic bastions of learning.

The final vote for this taxpayer "Hostage Situation" is slated for on Feb. 26.