The Sept. 17 edition of The Tribune offered the perfect juxtaposition for how badly the Salt Lake City School District seems to have screwed things up.
On the one hand, Andy Larsen’s column explained the district’s haphazard approach to considering school closures and how that process is on the cusp of making tragically uninformed decisions that will impact thousands of families. And on the other hand, Michael Lee’s article detailed how costs to rebuild the school district’s main office have nearly doubled over the past year: from $34 million to $58 million, and how this cost overrun is waved away as just the cost of doing business.
Adding insult to injury, as Larsen’s column noted, the school district apparently never considered repurposing one of the schools slated for closure as a new district office.
Thanks to The Tribune for shining a light on these issues. There is still time to right the ship. We need answers from the district before any action is taken to close schools and more accountability for how taxpayer funds are spent on the closure review process and on oversight of construction overruns.
Steve Bloch, Salt Lake City
