Close district administrative building

To the editor:

I suggested at a recent school board meeting that we should consider closing the district's administrative building in order to save money. Unfortunately, some people evidently mistook my recommendation for a joke.

Compared to closing a school, shutting down the administrative building makes more sense.

Location and recent refurbishing make the administrative building perhaps the district's most marketable real estate.

Closing the building would not negatively affect the surrounding neighborhood; would not force some schools to absorb more students leading to greater class sizes and would not disrupt the lives and relationships of students, families and teachers.

The administrative building is new enough that closing it would not raise questions about the preservation of local history.

Administrative jobs could be performed from offices at the various schools. Placing administrative offices in schools would allow for greater communication between those who create district policy and those who are charged with implementing it. Greater proximity between teachers and central administrators could also go far toward eliminating the us-and-them mentality that often exists.

By selling the administrative building, we would be making a clear statement that our district is willing to sacrifice some convenience in order to preserve the highest level of educational integrity in the classroom.

It seems more sensible than humorous to me.

DARYL FRIDLEY

Cape Girardeau