SOUND OFF: Rothenburger’s comments on school portables show little regard for students

Portables come with very high energy costs and frequent maintenance needs. Tear open a portable and often you will find cheap plywood, particle board, insulating foams and glues — the modular industry often builds to order, and as Rothenburger suggests the buildings should save as much money as possible. Construct four walls and a roof from that, expose it to the elements for a decade longer than intended and watch your energy and maintenance costs soar. They expose students and teachers to mould and mildew, poor ventilation and the potential for volatile gases from cheap building materials.

Further, students in portables are isolated and vulnerable during school lockdowns, they lack connection to the main building and they don’t feel part of the larger school culture. Do we want schools which build positive culture, or simply isolated buildings which house numbers as cheaply as possible?

Mel Rothenburger’s statements suggest he places little value on the students of our district, and the system as a whole.

Investing in every single proposed school project is obviously unrealistic, but suggesting such poorly researched and cheap solutions makes a clear statement about how much he does not value S.D. 73 students’ educational experience. Multiple schools in S.D. 73 currently operate far above intended capacity and the crowding creates issues both socially and logistically.

I encourage Mr. Rothenburger to reach out and actually ask students in these schools how they are impacted, instead of ignorantly commenting on what is best. The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Andrew Hall

SOUND OFF: Rothenburger’s comments on school portables show little regard for students

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