Heeee's Baaaaack!

I've decided to open back up this blog, but, not to protest decisions made by the board, rather to give insight into my decision process while reviewing board decisions. This blog will not be about disclosing discourse with my fellow board members, or provide any type of insight into how they are thinking, I can't, I'm not in their heads. I can only speak on what I am thinking, and where I am going on certain issues. This blog is for the benefit of the school district, not a tool of destruction.

In the past it has been known that transparency has always been a huge issue, when it came to the public knowing what is going on with its elected board. I ran on the statement that I would try and open that transparency up, so that the community can be more involved.  That is what I am doing now.

I originally started this blog as a way to properly answer the press and the questions being asked to me. Instead of me answering the press, or people in the community, who would email me a question then contort the message I was delivering, I decided to start a blog. I post their question, then verbatim, state my answer on the blog. It seems to be a very effective tool against false accusations, or misstatements in the press. I would encourage others to do the same. In the end, I stand behind my writings. I am not perfect, and don't claim to be, but, I intend to do what's best for our kids, and a blog is a great way to get the message out -- my message. I will do my best to answer related topics, and topics of concern, and how they are portrayed in my mind.

One of those recent topics, that I know most of us are all concerned with, are the plans for the Lowery Freshman Center. First off, I need to let you know, we will face another large bond election to make this happen, which no one should be complaining about being that we just built a $60 Million dollar football stadium and approved a $30 Million dollar bus parking facility. If we can spend almost $100 Million of football and buses, then the needs of our kids education should outweigh any decision in the near future.

In my mind the rebuilding of Lowery Freshmen Center should have come first, but, I wasn't a board member back then, and can't figure out what the decision process was -- which is ironic being that I am a board member now. Either way, it is a decision that has already been made, and now we can enjoy the fruits of college level football in our high school stadium and brag about slab of concrete with its own gas pumps. I ask you this, if our football players can enjoy such a big beautiful stadium in their high school years -- what will they be able to enjoy if they just go to a community college, or a University that doesn't have such facilities to play in? What are we teaching them, as adults? What will they have to look forward too? We need to send a message to our kids that their education is more important, and what better way than rebuilding the Lowery Freshman Center (LFC) as an Advanced Center of Academics? A facility that comes in line with our brand new football stadium, bus barn and our beautiful High School campus.

I'm envisioning a leading edge, and totally advanced, Freshman center that incorporates advanced sciences, academics, and trade specialities. Let us rebuild the entire LFC landscape to create an academic institution that everyone in the nation will crave. We did it with a multi-million dollar football stadium -- why not our Freshman Center? We can foster partnerships with local hospitals for clinical training; or local law firms for legal studies; or local crafts and automotive shops for advanced studies in mechanics. Why not a research center that is supported by some of our leading, and local, high-tech corporations?

We must allow the community to get involved, through focus groups, board postings and web interaction. Cast online votes for designs and implementations. Solicit input from the community like we have never done before. We should aim for a school that resembles the High School's ambience, and bridge the two campuses into one academic institution that people will strive to be a part of. We can't just bring them here with a football stadium, and a new bus parking lot, we need to bring them here for the academics. Allen High School is first in the State when it comes to football, now its time to be the first in the State when it comes to academics. We should aim to be the grazing area for Harvard, Yale, Baylor and the likes, what better way than putting our money where our mouths are?


Dr. Michael Myers


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