I respect the opinion of those opposed to a new downtown school. It seems we agree on our frustration with our school administration but disagree on how to fight. If I may, please let me speak my mind. Jeffersonville has seen an incredible resurgence in energy and life. That energy has brought a lot of new dollars, dreams and families to our once struggling downtown.
Together, we’ve created something special. Residents are once again beaming with confidence. The 1st District is once again 1st in pride. We’ve been dealt a difficult hand; allow our kids at Maple and Spring Hill to be bused out of downtown, or fight and unite to build a new school on Court Avenue?
I believe we fight! Our kids deserve ownership of a school as well. 26 independent residents representing different districts and different opinions were asked to spend three months going over the criteria of finance, location and convenience for a new school, unanimously they voted on one location....Court Avenue/Meigs.
Jeffersonville’s economic growth depends on a downtown school. I ask for your help. Please join me in supporting a new elementary school for our downtown.
Thanks,
Mike Moore
Well, the walking bridge is mainly responsible for downtown growth. But whatever.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your point? This is about the school downtown.
DeleteThe bridge is a key component but just a part of an overall plan that is bringing unprecedented growth and development. Building a new school and keeping an elementary school for downtown residents is very important and essential as the revitalization moves forward...
ReplyDeleteJust wish the mayor and Ron Ellis hadn't jumped the gun on endorsing a downtown school. Maple and Spring Hill parents had fought and won the same fight before and may have again. The downtown endorsement split the opposition and confused people.
ReplyDeleteIt took the steam out of the fight for downtown, but it doesn't change the math for New Washington taxpayers, who will understandably fight against funding a new school, and for all taxpayers.
We've almost certainly lost our neighborhood schools now, and there is still no guarantee for one new one.
Either way, Melin's manipulation won, and that asshole winning anything is a loss.
Drop out of Greater Clark
ReplyDeleteand form a Jeffersonville School System.
If Charlestown and New Wash oppose Jeff,
then Jeffersonville should op out of the current GCCS
and form their own!
Let Charlestown and New Wash fend for themselves....
Jeffersonville is paying for them......
Lots of Big Beautiful Taxable property
and Income Taxes to support the new Jeffersonville school system!
Good plan.
ReplyDeleteHey mayor — if new families are coming downtown, please explain why enrollment at Maple and Spring Hill is declining???
ReplyDeleteIf a new school is built, the taxpayers will be on the hook for over $52 million since 2015. 75% of us said NO to the referendum but Melin didn’t care. He spends without our permission. Kind of like stealing!!! And this is only the beginning. He has millions more in projects and new schools planned. Renovating either Maple or Spring Hill would be the common sense solution but Melin doesn’t want that. Wonder what he has planned for those school sites. Certainly must be a done deal for him to manipulate the committee to select Court & Meigs. Btw most of the committee members were teachers/principals and a couple community members. Half of them didn’t show up at most meetings.
ReplyDeleteCan not understand the thinking on this location. Postage stamp size property with virtually no parking or yet green space for kids outdoors. Safety ? Jail property next door ?
ReplyDeleteNot understating the downtown need just questioning the location. What becomes of the property, Maple and Spring Hill ? Follow the money trail. Just typical of what we have seen from this school system.
Hawk
Mayor Moore needs to understand that NO ONE is against a downtown school. But we are against spending millions and raising our property taxes unnecessarily when two schools already exist in downtown. Renovate one or both for under $5 million. Keep the downtown school and be considerate of taxpayers. Remember that it is not just Jeffersonville taxpayers who will be asked to pay for this but Charlestown, New Washington and Clarksville as well. Time for fiscal responsibility. Our homes are not the school district’s piggy bank.
ReplyDeleteI'll detail my thoughts on this issue in a post in the next couple of days but what I think the mayor is saying is that the most important thing is having a school downtown period.
ReplyDeleteMelin has sole control over GCCS and the school board. he was bound and determined to shut down the existing schools and no one would change his mind...
Mayor Moore is saying we now need to focus on making sure the proposed new school comes to fruition even though to some it is not their first choice of options...I think he's right on this...
Making sure the new proposed school comes to fruition means paying for something we never wanted. It means letting the bad guys win. It's a terrible choice we shouldn't have to make.
DeleteA loud, unified "no" was the only right way to go. The spot we're in now absolutely sucks.
A new downtown school would be better than no downtown school for our family, but it's inferior to what we have now and contaminated by how it went down.
The moral cost of supporting it feels too high.
The practical cost of opposing it is also steep.
God, I just hope they are able to unload those old schools so that they don’t become useless eyesores like others.
ReplyDeleteRemember, it was the GCCS POWERS,
ReplyDeleteNOT the mayor,
that ARBITRAILY DETERMINED
that the citizens of Jeffersonville
would loose TWO downtown schools and suddenly
have NO elementary schools West of Ewing Lane.
The GCCS powers also made the unwise decision to have
TWO unwieldy 1,000 pupil (!) elementary schools in Jeffersonville.
The mayor WENT TO WORK and got the GCCS powers to agree to compromise and keep open one downtown school to serve the citizens of Jeffersonville. The GCCS powers internally evaluated the SITES and determined to build
at the Court Avenue location.
Thank you!
Hats off to Mayor Mike Moore
for SAVING a downtown elementary school
and to the GCCS powers for having the foresight
to compromise with the mayor and support his diligent efforts.
If the persons who dislike
the great City of Jeffersonville
wish to oppose the last remaining downtown
elementary school, which is only one survivor
out of four, there is the nifty option
of breaking up the current
GCCS system.
New Washington
and Charlestown can
have their own system
and pay for it themselves....
Under the mayor's Excellent Leadership,
the great City of Jeffersonville is one of the most
dynamic and growing cities in the US. It is a GREAT PLACE
to live, to work, to invest, and to raise a family.
Enjoy
Jeffersonville's Big Beautiful
Tax Base and various forms of Tax Producing Prosperity!
Next up for Jeffersonville:
ReplyDeleteWhat should be the NAME of the new school?
Historically, the name of General Meigs should be considered.
Richard Vissing Elementary School. John Schnatter Elementary School.
Got it!
The Donald J. Trump Elementary School would be really cool!
Name it Chatter Chicks Elementary and I'll shut up.
DeleteThe school district supposedly is against bullying. But they are the biggest bully of all. “Give us $15 million or else we will bus your kids”. Time to stand up to these bullies. Say NO.
ReplyDeleteThat’ll really teach the kids.
DeleteYou have two choices, vote NO and the kids will be bused to Northaven or Bridgepoint. Vote YES and those same kids will have their own school. There are no other options.
ReplyDeleteMike Moore
Sorry but the mayor is a terrible negotiator. Time to care about the taxpayers for once. No more threats
ReplyDeleteSo we vote no to beat Melin and to stick it to Moore as a bad negotiator and declare ourselves the WINNER. Ok I get it. BUS THE KIDS, BEAT MELIN! Too bad the kids had to suffer for us to declare victory. Pirate pride!
DeleteThat wouldn't even be a "declared" victory. A NO vote means Melin gets exactly what he wanted from the beginning...two downtown schools closed, no school downtown and the downtown kids bused ...Yeah that's a real victory SMH...
DeleteThere is one other option: realize it sucks all the way around and stay out of it, let the chips fall where they may. Only way to not work against my own family's interests or give in to Melin's bullshit.
DeleteDealing with critics who have no experience is unfortunately part of the job for even the most dedicated elected officials.
DeleteThere is NO voting involved. There is NO referendum because Melin will keep it under $15 million. This $15 million brings the total in the past 2 years to over $52 million. How much more are the taxpayers willing to pay because this $15 million is not the end, only the beginning
ReplyDeleteWhat’s another $15 million?? Who cares how high our property taxes rise? With the addition of this $15 million, Melin will have issued over $52 million since 75% of the people voted no to the referendum. Nothing like ignoring the will of the people. And there will be no vote this time — just 4 if Melin’s puppets raising their hands. And this $15 million is not the end. More and more will come and come soon. Just how much can the taxpayers afford?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I moved here last fall with our 3 and 5 year oldchildren excited about everything Jeffersonville has to offer. We love this city, we love living downtown. I was heartbroken to hear we would lose our neighborhood school if the community didn’t vote to support. Please tell me the anti growth comments on here are a small voice in this community. How sad it would be to raise a family in a neighborhood that fights to stop a downtown school.
ReplyDeleteReconsidering life in downtown.
What are you reading as anti-growth?
DeleteIt will not be your downtown neighborhood fighting against this. Most of those fighting it - if there is even an opportunity to fight - will be the other taxpayers in the district which are being screwed by all this.
You and your neighbors got screwed too, but we will at least be getting the new school for our additional money. It's not what we wanted; it's a loss; but it's something. On the other hand, farmers in New Washington, for example, will pay a disproportionately high cost and see no benefit.
When it was first mentioned on here I thought it seemed like a crazy idea, but the more I think about Jeffersonville separating itself from the rest of Greater clark the more of a benefit I think this could be. Jeff residents pay the lions share of the expenses. This idea would work.
ReplyDeleteTHE Best Plan:
ReplyDelete1.) Jeffersonville drops out of GCCS.,
2.) Saves a ton of money.
3.) Plans for future growth and neighborhood quality.,
4.) Builds a new school on Court Avenue.,
5.) Build again at the Eastlawn site.,
6.) Builds on the Ctown Pike to 62
site out just past U-S Rd.
7.) Remodels and expands
Maple Street.
Plenty of money left over from the separation,
current and futire growth, and the NEIGHBORHOOD school system
is alive and thriving.
New Washington and Charlestown
can merge with Borden and Henryville
and have a real, true, county system.
Go Jeffersonville!
Everybody is happy!
You obviously don't understand how the funding works! Melin will never let go of his NW and Charlestown students who are worth $6,000+ each to him. He wants their income but he gives them pittance! Jeff taxpayers cannot afford to pay any more property taxes to build all the new schools you mention. People will move out of Jeff in droves!
DeleteMelin already has "plans" in the works for the Maple & Spring Hill properties. That's why he doesn't want to renovate them. BUT, he will not tell anyone what those "plans" are. He wants to get his new state of the art school approved before he drops that bomb on us!!
DeleteJust curious how you know all of this if it’s top secret and Melin isn’t telling anyone? There are some conspiracist nut jobs on here.
DeleteWhere are you getting six years? He maybe bought us a year, but that assumes a unified opposition would have lost in the end.
ReplyDeleteThat opposition team had a winning record though.
New Wash is a money loser for Greater clark. Add up the school salaries, utility costs and transportation expenses and you’ll quickly see expenses far exceed $6000 per student income. Do the math.
ReplyDeletePeople probably won't leave, but taxes and schools do figure into their decisions about where to move. They may also come to Jeff but not enroll their children in Jeff public schools.
ReplyDeleteMelin's previous big ideas included big increases in enrollment that didn't materialize. Even though the population increased, enrollment didn't because of the number of students within the district not attending district schools.
Work in Louisville and a co-worker and his family just moved to Jeffersonville. I asked why and he told me one of the reasons was he had read about GCCS investment into their facilities.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
It is what it is...Spring Hill and Maple ( of which I'm an alum ) appear to be history...Post all you want about Melin, tax increases, poor negotiations, yada yada yada...But, right or wrong it's over...I'm not happy about any of it, but I'm realistic...Jeffersonville needs and deserves a downtown school...It will be sad to see Spring Hill and Maple close, but sadder still if dissent keeps a new downtown school from being built to take their place...As a side note, the new location is the one I would have picked...Truly a downtown location...Don't forget Jeff High sat at the same spot for years ( and probably traffic was heavier on Court Ave then than it is now )...The right design and it will work just fine there.
ReplyDeleteFarm Fence Posthole Digger said:
DeleteJules is correct!
Many students are bussed every day within Greater Clark much farther than 3 miles (SH to Northaven). It isn't the end of the world --- bussing would be far more favorable than spending another $15 million! No one is to blame if the new school doesn't happen except the Board --- they should have renovated either Maple or SH and kept a downtown school open without community dissent. But unfortunately they like to spend money like it grows on trees. It doesn't!
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a very sad person. I hope someday you have a better view on life. Good luck.
DeleteA, bussing is not preferable, and you will not be able to convince parents and grandparents - even those of us who strongly opposed the closings - that it is.
DeleteWe lost. It is what it is at this point.
Teresa is the new school board president! Congratulations to her!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad issue for our city. We are basically being told to take it and smile. Out of all the property that was taken for the "creek" downtown, this is where we want to put a school. The traffic is going to be horrible at certain times of the day. Especially with buses and parents and lets not forgot jail and court traffic. Which is exactly what i would want my young child to see every morning. And every time something happens at the courthouse it could be a distraction as well as the school being locked down. This needs to be thought about much more before we swallow this pill. May cause way to many side effects!
ReplyDeleteWell said. Renovation to either Maple or Spring Hill would be far more preferable but common sense is certainly lacking among the powers that be!
DeleteAlso it would be a great news headline. "Elementary school to be built next to jail featued on 60 days in"
ReplyDeleteI guess we could rent it to a&e during the summer to recoup some of the money
I hope the morons on this sight understand kids have been going to school there for decades. There’s so much hate and ignorance on here. What’s wrong with some of you?
ReplyDeleteThe Court Avenue site for a school is a good compromise location. The functions of the Clark County Government Center are very many and very broad. The actual court activities are only a small part of the offices of Clark County government and the location is VERY safe. Hundreds of people utilize the government site daily.
ReplyDeleteThe placement of a new elementary at that location is very good for Jeffersonville and Clark County.
Get it built !
I’m only interested in the people willing to use their own name. How will you vote, bus the kids or build a new school?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Mike Moore
Mike— what will happen to Spring Hill and Maple? Is Spring Hill promised to the County for a probation center? Is it true the school district was going to give the county the property at Court &Meigs for $1 but the County didn’t have the $5 million necessary to renovate the old Corden Porter building so they turned it down? Now the school district is going to give them a school building that is in good condition— Spring Hill? What is the County going to give the school district in return? Land for a new bus depot perhaps? Or something else? You told those at the meeting that there were 4 options being considered for the downtown school. But that was not true was it. Maple and Spring Hill were NEVER considered at all. The tactic committee was steered totally towards only one site— Court and Meigs. Is that because Melin and the county already had plans for the two existing schools? Melin wouldn’t be building new classrooms at Northaven if he really wanted a downtown school— but he is. And he has plans for additional classrooms at Bridgepoint. He wants the Court & Meigs site to fail. He wants the $15 million for another project— not downtown. But he is going through the motions so he can tell people “he tried”. That’s hogwash. If he really cared about downtown and our property taxes, he would have renovated one of the existing schools. He wants bussing. He even said it was “only a mile” from SH to Northaven. (Not true, but it’s what he said).
ReplyDeleteSo now if the people say no to a $15 million school next to the jail, we are the “bad guys”! Our homes are not Melin’s piggy banks. If this fails, it will be no ones fault but Melin and his incompetent board. Alice Butler
p.s. do the people in the Spring Hill area know what the plans are for their school? Many parents have already transferred their children to Clarksville and more will do the same. They do not want to bus their children to Northaven or Court&Meigs. Fight for renovation if you really care about downtown. Don’t give up so easily. How much did the City (we the taxpayers) pay to send out the flyer to everyone in Clark County promoting the new school? It was made to appear to have been sent by the school district but it wasn’t. It was very deceiving.
Also Mike —. There is NO vote. Melin is purposely keeping the cost under $15 million to avoid a referendum. May be a Petition and Remonstrance but NO VOTING. Many taxpayers will be clueless about what is going on— but that’s what they want, right?
ReplyDeleteI read a list of rumors and wild assumptions above and can’t help but wonder where you come up with these crazy accusations? Spring Hill will not become a probation center. The Spring Hill and Maple school properties were included in committee search. Just because you don’t like the answers doesn’t mean other people are conspiring against you. I’m fine with people disagreeing, but when your only line of defense is to lie to win an argument you probably need to keep your opinions to yourself.
ReplyDeleteI truly understand the frustration some have with Dr. Melin, but when your strategy is to deceive to win, you lose me. And yes a petition drive will ensue, and you will cast a “vote” to sign one petition to build or to sign another petition to bus. I’ll take all the criticism you want to throw at me, but base your story on facts not crazy rumors.
Mike Moore
So if these “rumors” are incorrect then why not tell us what is in the works for Spring Hill and Maple. There can be no “lies” when people are transparent. No one has bothered to tell us the plans but some inside the County certainly seem to be aware. If their rumors are untrue then please tell us the truth. Don’t just accuse people of lying. No lies Mike — just what people are saying. Tell us the truth please.
ReplyDeleteAnd petitions are not the same as voting as there will be no places for people to go to sign a petition. Requires door to door. Definitely not the same as voting. And this is not just “build or bus”. It’s a lot more than that when our homes/farms/businesses will be paying for it for 20 years through increased property taxes. And this is NOT all that Melin has planned. If this goes through he will have $52 million in the past 2 years and you can be assured there will be another $50 million plus coming. Just how much can property owners afford before they decide to leave? P.s. this affects New Washington farmers, Charlestown and Clarksville homeowners as well.
And that's what will get us. A tax increase for this one school is not in those voters' best interest. The administration will not out forth the effort on these petitions that they did on the last.
DeleteBy going along with the one downtown school idea, political cover was provided for closing the other two.
Downtown will be left with nothing.
That’s exactly why the tactic committee should have pushed for renovation of either Spring Hill or Maple. That way a downtown school could be kept open for less than $5 million which only requires 4 school board members to vote yes. But does Melin really want to keep a downtown school open? I doubt it. He even said renovation of Maple or Spring Hill would cost $8 or $9 million each. But that is highly doubtful since renovation of Northaven cost just $4 million including a new addition! Parkwoods renovation only cost $2 million. So if Melin wants the downtown school to fail, then what should he do? Easy —-select the highest dollar option in the worst location. Then when it fails say “Well I tried”! This will make the taxpayers the “bad guys” not him!
DeletePlans/discussions have been underway for a long time for the future of the Spring Hill and Maple buildings. They were never seriously considered by the tactic committee. My guess is one or both will go to the County for court offices of some kind. Any other guesses? Kids will be ๐ to Northaven and Bridgepoint because that’s what Melin wants and what his board voted for. There was no talk of a new school until the mayor got involved. So are we just going through all these hoops and meetings for show?
Too bad the committee didn’t think through how this would affect taxpayers rather than just focus on a location. Saving a downtown school would be simple with renovation. Building a costly new school in a poor location not an easy sell at all. Common sense
Award Winning Bat Blog Drama Reduction!
ReplyDeleteA longtime sage observer noted at breakfast today:
The GCCS Power Brokers were afraid to close Springhill
without closing Maple because the Liberals could claim Racism.
However, the location at Springhill is not centrally located and has a much smaller
neighborhood school age population base than the centrally located Court Avenue/Maple Street corridor.
Maple could not be kept open without keeping the Claysburg/Springhill site open.
The Meigs Avenue/Court Avenue location serves the exploding growth of the revitalizing downtown area, serves Springhill, serves Eastlawn, serves Rose Hill,
and the Maple Street attendance areas.
It is easily accessibility in all directions with great traffic flow on MULTIPLE STREETS from the large grid pattern if urban streets, it is highly "walkable"
for many blocks in all directions, and it promotes the economic vitality of Jeffersonville and Clark County.
Award Winning Bat Blog Sage Reporting!
ReplyDeleteUrban Vitality and Quality of Life
Four Downtown
Yes, it would be a better choice for Jeffersonville and Clark County's citizens
to build at Meigs Avenue, and also rebuild and expand Eastlawn, expand and improve Springhill and also Maple Street.
Planners know the great necessity of keeping neighborhood schools
to stop urban decline and move from 'static' to 'upgrading'.
Jeffersonville SHOULD have FOUR downtown area neighborhood schools AGAIN.
Jeffersonville's growth patterns are really dynamic. The capital investment structure, great employment, and the tax base for Jeffersonville is very large and it is exploding! It is a dynamic small city in a great location.
The mayor DILLIGEBTLY and SUCCESSFULLY went to bat for Jeffersonville
and got a compromise from the current GCCS power brokers.
With the current political make up of the GCCS leaders.
the one school solution is the best short term solution
that could be obtained "at this time". Commander
Melin was wise
to compromise with the mayor,
as a movement to BREAKUP GCCS could have occurred.
It is STILL on the table as an option......
There will also be a strong short term look at another downtown school
and others needed farther to the East as Jeffersonville continues
its impressive growth and development.
Intelligent, neighborhood oriented educators and planners would keep open FOUR downtown Jeffersonville schools. The political makeup of the GCCS board
is not fair toward Jeffersonville, nor very knowledgeable,
with two exceptions, about the importance of the value of true,
small neighborhood schools to a community's vitality.
Bat Blog Alert
Remember, that the possibility exists that New Washington and Charlestown are merging with Borden and Henryville, Silver Creek is going it alone,
and that there is a strong movement in Indianapolis to oversee
the merger of the Clarksville Community School system
and Jeffersonville.
The future will see much growth, CHANGE , and improvement.
No way will Jeff and Clarksville merge. They're the way they currently are for a reason, and the demographics haven't changed enough for that to happen.
Delete