Posted 9/5/01 School issues never go away: Sunday Night, by MaryHelen Swanson I really canít remember a time when the hottest issues in any community did not center around the education of its children. From my earliest recollections as a child, I remember the conversations between Mom and Dad that focused on schools, taxes and how much we were learning. In the burgeoning town of White Bear Lake in the late 50s and early 60s, school buildings popped up on the corner of every square mile, it seemed. And as soon as they were finished, they were filled. For nearly two decades taxes went up as fast as the school buildings, but the children of the community were being well served. Most alarming back then was the cost of the new junior high school, which I was privileged to attend for three years. Called Sunrise Junior High (I voted for Rutherford B. Hayes Junior High), the price tag that came with the modern-designed structure was $250,000. Yes, the cry rang out, ìa quarter of a million dollars!!!î yet everyone opened their pocketbooks to pay for it, because it was needed. It was most unique in design- three separate rectangular wings connected by offices on the south and the gym and cafeteria on the north. It had three center courts, totally useless, except that all classrooms had windows and that was nice. It is the school that surfaces most in my ìschool daysî dreams, you know, the ones where you canít remember your locker combination etc. I can distinctly remember many details of this fine building. From that beautiful new school I moved to the ìoldî high school for two years, the same one my Dad went to. And then in my senior year they finished the new high school. I was lucky to be among the first graduating class of the brand new White Bear Lake High School, another uniquely-built structure. With its three circular components tied together with central offices, it was a school among schools in the North Suburban area. The only central court was in the middle of the office area, so if you were unfortunate enough to get a class in one of the interior rooms you never knew what was happening outside. The pie-shaped rooms were dark and there was no staring out a window for a moment of afternoon reverie. Still, it was as impressive as the price tag. But the circular school obviously did not take off as it remained the only round school in the area until I moved to Rush City and found another round school built in the mid 60s also. Perhaps it was the same architect. However, these buildings, with their faults, are still serving students today, so something about them must have been good. Back to White Bear Lake. In a few decades, the kids grew up and the schools on the corners emptied to the point several were closed. Did the folks in White Bear Lake make a mistake in building to meet the demands of the growing population? No one ever answers this question, they just look at the many, many WBHS students who went on to become very productive members of society. Both North Branch and Rush City are facing school building issues as this school year begins. North Branch must deal with overcrowding and a failed referendum for a new elementary school. Rush City faces a referendum for major renovation of the elementary school. What taxpayers must decide is whether educating the children in appropriate settings is worth additional dollars. For those who object to education taxes going up, might I remind you of how much is spent on pull tabs, the lottery and gambling in our communities every year. If your income is fixed, Iím sure itís hard to have taxes go up. On the other hand, many senior citizens are also frequenting the casino up north. Think about it. ©Post Review