Both the N&R’s lead editorial and columnist Doug Clark address the tension between GCS and the City of High Point.
Clark writes:
The two public bodies just clash, on issue after issue, when they should work together as much as possible for everyone’s benefit.
The latest conflict reopens an old sore. The school board just rejected, again, the city’s request for ownership of A.J. Simeon Stadium, where Central and Andrews high schools play home football games.
For years, city leaders have accused school officials of letting the facility decline. Parking lots are unpaved, concession areas and restrooms are substandard, lighting is poor, and accessibility for the handicapped is a struggle.
…..Can’t this change? I’d trust the city to operate the stadium. I want the city and schools to tackle work force preparedness challenges as partners. I think the city should pay for safe streets and sidewalks near every school.
It’s supposed to be about building a better community. Can the public trust these leaders to get that done?
Left unsaid in both editorials is the fact that this stuff is bound to happen when a county with two mid-sized cities consolidates its school system, especially when one city is in the contrarian mood that High Point is in these days. This is a major argument against consolidation as Davidson County ponders the same move wtih Lexington and Thomasville.
I’ll be honest, I don’t care much for High Point, because it just doesn’t have a lot of charm. But I give them credit for doing instead of talking with regard to infrastructure issues involving the Randleman Dam and the Heart of the Triad area. With that in mind, I have a suggestion: GCS should offer High Point not only Simeon Stadium but its city schools as well. Then High Point leaders will really have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.
