I’ve worked in education for almost 40 years. I’ve spent time in dozens of schools in and out of the U.S. Along the way, I have learned that the condition of a school building communicates a lot about a community. As an alumna of Bowling Green City Schools (BGCS) and a proud parent of two BGCS graduates, I am worried about what our public school facilities say about what is important to our community.
Numerous studies report correlations between the condition of school facilities and students’ academic achievement, attendance, and behavior, as well as teacher retention and school climate. Research (and common sense) suggests that students and teachers benefit from learning and teaching in up-to-date facilities with adequate space, proper ventilation, comfortable temperatures, and with access to new technologies. Anyone who has visited our high school recently knows that our kids and teachers don’t experience this kind of environment.
Quality school facilities are not just good for our children; these buildings are important to the economic vitality of our community. A study published in the American Economic Journal concluded new school construction generated $1.62 in household value for each dollar spent (LaFortune & Schonholzer, 2022). Based on this research, the proposed levy offers a higher return on investment for most homeowners than keeping our current high school. In addition, BG needs to attract new families to our community if we are going to thrive. I’ve talked with dozens of young professionals with families who work in BG but have opted to live elsewhere. Unfortunately, our current facilities simply do not compare favorably to any of our neighboring communities.
A few people have shared why they plan to vote against the levy in November. Many of these are important issues that the district, the board, and the community need to work collaboratively to improve in the future. But these should not be used as excuses to vote no on a new high school, especially when there are such compelling and important reasons to vote yes.
Dawn Shinew
Bowling Green
(Shinew serves as dean and professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University. The opinions expressed here reflect her personal opinion and should not be considered an official position for the college or university.)
