Buildings
How long should a building last ? In the U.S. we should expect a well-built
home to last for 100 years. Obviously, we will need to replace whatever wears
out, so we need to save about half the cost of the house to maintain and
upgrade a home.
School Buildings
In the 1950s, most school buildings were
about 40 years old and were expected to last at least another 40 years. Like a home, you could expect to spend
thousands of dollars over the years maintaining and replacing worn out
components. The curriculum was not as
good as it had been in the 1920s, but it was adequate. Many Americans completed
8th grade and were able to function well in various trade schools
and in the workplace. College entrance
average exam scores peeked in 1961 and declined thereafter.
Since the 1960s, school buildings got larger,
fancier and more expensive. At the same time, the curriculum deteriorated. The dumbing down of schools had begun. Colleges and Universities put billions into
campus development but the curriculum was dumbed down along with the students.
The “neighborhood school” was the model until
the “middle school” was arbitrarily imposed.
This was a mistake and K through 12 schools should be restored.
Demographic Shifts
Neighborhoods will go through demographic
cycles if homeowners remain longer than 20 years. School populations will ebb and flow with generations
coming and going. Schools should adjust
to these rather than requiring a minimum number of students to keep a school
open. Churches don’t move because of
demographics and neither should schools.
$billions have been spent on school
construction, but the dumbing down of the curriculum is unsustainable.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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