Central View Residents Speak Out For White Co Board To Reopen School

Several residents in the Central View Community made their case to the White County School Board Tuesday to reopen its elementary school.

Resident Moni Webb said the community still hurts from the school closure that occurred four-years ago.

“The Central View families are more serious now than four years ago to get their school back and standing with them are residents like myself who are new to the Central View community,” Webb said. “We are willing to fight for our school.”

Webb said community growth and long bus drives for students were reasons why the community needs a school. Resident Bobbie Duncan said she feels unrepresented without a school in Central View.

“We don’t have a neighborhood community for our area, and the people are moving back in,” Duncan said. “This is not going to be dropped. We are still going to be looking at this, because I feel as a tax payer and as an individual, taxation without representation is not fair.”

Resident David Young also spoke out. He expressed concern of the school using excessive funds to build the new Findlay Elementary School.

“We pay taxes down there just the same as everybody else,” Young said. “I own 50 acres down there and a house that’s paid for and I pay taxes every year. I do not like my tax money going to something I don’t appreciate.”

Webb also questioned overspending on the new Findlay school. Webb said she believed the school board could have better used its money to keep the school open.

Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger responded to the accused overspending. Dronebarger said most numbers presented by residents were not factual. Dronebarger said the Findlay School building costs did not go over its budgeted bond.

School Board Member Bob Young was the chair of the Central View subcommittee that explored options to repurpose the building. Young said reopening as a school would be challenging, but he is open to other uses.

“If somebody had an idea for a use of that property in the community, we would certainly entertain it,” Young said. “From the school standpoint that is a pretty complex subject.”

Dronebarger said the operating cost of the school for the amount of students it would hold does not make financial sense. School Board Chair Jayson McDonald said the building also needs millions of dollars in repairs and would only have about 75 students. Only three more than when the school closed four years ago, according to McDonald.