Things got interesting at tonight Guilford County school board meeting when Darlene Garrett suggested the Lucent building be considered as –get this– not just an alternative plan for Eastern High School but a backup plan as well. She also accused Superintendent Terry Grier and his staff for not looking at the Lucent building “with a more critical eye.”
So, just in case the pod system is found to be too expensive or won’t be ready for the start of the next school year (and I’m not saying that can’t happen), Garrett wants the Lucent building all up to code and ready to go, and I am saying that won’t happen. So did Grier, who said he just didn’t have the staff to manage parallel projects.
That makes me wonder where Garrett was back in December when the Lucent building was under serious consideration from the school board. The expense, both under a lease and a sale, plus the extensive renovations necessary to meet state schools codes were laid before the board before it opted for the pod system. Odds are that project would come in over budget, too.
Garrett and Grier traded a few barbs before Garth Hebert, who took a jab from today’s print edition of the Inside Scoop, put things into perspective. Hebert said he was in favor of the Lucent building, but the board had voted to pursue the pod system and it now had to follow that course. Besides, the owners of the Lucent building never came up with a definitive plan.
Still, when I was listening to some of the concerns of the Eastern parents, I worried I’ve been too hard on them in the past. I don’t mean to diminish the difficulty of their situation. The unfortunate reality is some things, like asking the school system to oversee a renovation project in an efficient manner, are just too much to ask.
