To the editor,

Will we ever learn? I wonder. In this holiday season, I challenge the USD 112 BOE to be the modern day wise men/women in making the final decision on closing Wilson Jr/Sr High School. May you also follow the Star of Bethlehem. God expects us to look up to him, not to raise ourselves up by knocking others down. Your actions seem to be focused on an unsustainable short path solution. Whom have you counseled to test your theories about the long-term stability of your plan? Have you used the information from the KASB Configuration Study (June 2021), plus sought out additional professional help from the KASB or KSDE? This could be beneficial for the longevity of the entire district. So much is at stake. Don’t neglect to explore, seriously,  all other scheduling options, before finalizing this extremely important decision.

The wise men did arrive late. Peace starts in one person and spreads to other hearts. What are you spreading at the Jan. 4th  hearing? Not only would I like to see the wise men/women arrive, I’m hoping for a peace offering, a reconciliation, compromise, a future where USD 112 can be stronger together. All things are possible. Struggles are real. Kids need to see these struggles and learn how to peacefully, and productively, power through them together. In a small puzzle, even one lost piece, spoils the perfect picture. Ask someone at KSDE how long, realistically, they predict you’ll survive, as you rise closer to the top of the “smaller district” list. 

So what’s next? Look for true cost-saving measures. Continue to provide a quality education for the world’s next wise men/women, your kids, through teamwork. Explore a 4-day school week. Twenty-five Kansas school districts are doing so with great success. Don’t believe me, ask those who employ it. They’re in the area. Reconsider Block Scheduling. Change is happening, so if you want productive change, that can last 20-25 years, make sustainable provisions for change. Also, there is message, life lessons, for our kids, living under the Christmas star, in these wide open skies: Make peace between the North and South; a Civil Was is too costly; Death of even one friendship, whether it’s a child leaving for another district, or neighbors who quit talking, It’s a death by a hundred cuts. Students, who leave now, are gone forever; never to return. Find, room at the inn, for innovative exploration, negotiations and compromise! 

Happy New Year.

Roberta Meier

Retired educator and recently relocated resident