Clay County has begun construction on the first of the two planned consolidated elementary schools. The school at Big Otter, which will hold the students from the current Ivydale and Valley Fork Schools should be ready for occupancy in the Fall of 2007.

The present schools have not been maintained and a new building is needed, but we need to ask ourselves if the building will do anything to provide a better education for our children. No money has been allocated to add additional teachers and, although the school will have art and music rooms and a library, funding has not been secured to staff any of these positions or for the necessary furnishings and equipment.

Ivydale and Valley Fork personnel have no guarantee of priority for the positions at the new school. The Ivydale School has been sold while classes are still being taught in the building. Teachers are uncertain of their futures and morale is at an all time low.

There is also some question about whether the new school will cut down on the already long bus rides. Research has shown that when community schools are closed, parental involvement drops. Let's hope that we can prevent further closures in our county.

Parents, teachers, students, school administrators and the community need to work together, combing their unique talents and views, to make the best education possible for every child.

The only way for each of these groups to make an optimal contribution is for there to be open and honest communication among the participants. This means that information about both the strengths and weaknesses of the schools need to be made available so that appropriate changes are made to insure that each child is getting an excellent education.