May 24, 2018 3 min read

When it comes to governing, hard choices sometimes must be made.

That’s what the Peters Township School Board is experiencing as it makes difficult decisions on what should and shouldn’t be included in its new high school.

Bids that came in last week were less than expected – always good news for a major building project – but that changed in less than 24 hours when two of the construction companies withdrew their proposals. That put the anticipated total cost of the project about $3.5 million overbudget.

A $90 million budget that the school board is adamant it can’t exceed is now colliding with the reality that a $5 million swimming pool is on the “deduct alternate” list, meaning it is under consideration to be eliminated from the project to cut costs.

Some school officials think it’s a luxury the district can’t afford. Others aren’t so sure.

The situation brought concerns from residents, students and local swimming clubs that stand to lose the most if the school district decides a pool is expendable.

“We know we need a new pool. You know we need a new pool,” Peters Township Swim Club President Peter Rose told the school board while it was discussed at Monday’s meeting. “We need to figure out how to make this happen.”

Rose called swimming a “life-altering sport” that helps children build skills with time management, leadership, healthy eating, exercise and even friendship. Swimming, indeed, is an important component for many youth, but at what cost for the school district and its taxpayers?

Should the school district spend more than 5 percent of the total high school budget on a pool? That seems like a steep price for a school district that is adamant about watching the bottom line.

The school board was so unsure about what to do that it continued Monday’s meeting to Tuesday, and then promptly kicked the can down the road again. Although the school board has 60 days to make a decision on the bids, its members could decide as soon as this Tuesday which portions of project to keep and which ones to eliminate.

All of this comes as the school board is preparing a budget this year that would raise school property taxes by .31 mills, which would set the new tax rate at 13.5 mills. Property owners are facing more tax increases over the next few years to pay for the school.

It appears that if a pool is important enough to the students and community, it should be included in the final project in some form. But the school board also should reconsider its current plans and find a way to scale back the pool to make it more economical for the taxpayer.

At a time when music and art programs are being cut from curriculums across the country, it seems silly to spend $5 million on a pool that will be used by only a certain segment of the student body.

The Peters Township School Board has many difficult decisions to make in the coming days and weeks while shaping the future of its new high school. Blowing its budget on a state-of-the-art pool should not be one of them.