There comes a time during important public debates when everyone involved has to agree to do something.
Doing something is a not a crime.
Doing nothing is the crime.
With regard to using Pope John as a middle school, the time has arrived.
Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani said so last week to the city council.
“At some point, we must make a decision to begin,” she said after listening to City Councilor Richard Dell Isola go on an about how confusing everything seems to be.
“It get more complex each time we meet,” he said.
Dell Isola appears to be in favor of Pope John being used to mitigate overcrowding in the Everett Public Schools.
However, he becomes paralyzed when thinking about a new high school or the old high school or trailers and on and on.
He gets bogged down in the new high school rhetoric offered by the mayor.
The mayor believes the chances for the new high school he’d like to build, which will cost $500 million, might conceivably be impacted by renovating Pope John, and he is right.
However, the compelling question is what to do with 1500 EPS children who are being taught in overcrowded situations right now. Planning for a new high school that will take care of the problem 10 years from now is like talking about dreams. It does nothing to advance a shorter term fix that is as necessary as repairing an important water pipe instead of replacing every water pipe in the water system.
What is Dell Isola thinking about when he talks in terms of a fix that might take place ten years from now, and that he is made unable to make a decision on Pope John because he’s worried about a dream that is 10 years away?
Tahiliani isn’t dreaming.
The kids without adequate space aren’t dreaming.
A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.
Dell Isola, et al need to understand the problem is now and that pipe dreams for a better situation ten years down the road are just that, pipe dreams.
Wipe away the confusion. Do something right for the kids. Get the Pope John renovation started.
There is plenty of time for added confusion after the new project is underway.