Finalize Money For New School

By the News-Register
In 2006, Marshall County voters demonstrated once again that they want the very best for their children — and are willing to pay for it. Continuing a long tradition of approving taxes for schools, voters in that year said “yes” to a major bond issue.

The idea behind the $27.9 million measure was to make improvements to schools throughout the county. Of the total, $2.5 million was earmarked for badly needed renovations to Cameron High School.

But engineering studies have indicated that much more work than covered by the $2.5 million is needed at the school. It appears that the old building simply has outlived its usefulness.

During a special session of the Marshall County Board of Education on Tuesday, delighted Cameron area residents were told that they probably will be getting a new high school.

The meeting had to be held in the existing high school gymnasium, in order to accommodate all who wished to attend. That is a demonstration of the concern Cameron area residents have for their children.

During the meeting, school Superintendent Fred Renzella — apparently just a bit stunned, himself, by events — told the crowd that school officials “are not sure how it happened, but it did.”

He explained that state School Building Authority Executive Director Mark Manchin recommended constructing a new Cameron High School. It is expected that the SBA will provide $16 million of the $28 million cost of the new facility.

That $16 million, combined with the $2.5 million originally earmarked for CHS, still falls substantially short of paying the full bill. During Tuesday’s meeting, however, Renzella said it is expected that the new high school can be constructed without increasing taxes in Marshall County.

Obstacles still may lie in the way of the new school. For one thing, as Renzella stressed, there is no guarantee that the SBA will follow through with Manchin’s recommendation. If it does not, school officials will have to use the available $2.5 million to make as many improvements as possible to the existing school.

We urge SBA members to give final approval of the $16 million — or more — in funding for a new Cameron High School. Marshall County voters have, again, a long, proud tradition of approving additional taxes on themselves in order to provide the very best for their children.

That attitude is not, sadly, prevalent everywhere in West Virginia.

We realize that the SBA’s resources are limited. But Marshall County voters, always ready to help themselves, have earned consideration from the SBA for a new Cameron High School.