Cortez Mayor Karen Sheek deserves the community’s thanks for standing up to Re-1 Superintendent Alex Carter.
Carter keeps insisting the district never promised that the old high school building would be torn down once the new one was occupied. That argument seems to hinge on the definition of “promise,” but a formal document surely qualifies. The mayor, in possession of a signed memorandum of understanding between the district and the city that specified demolition of the building by the end of last year, is accurately representing the plan that was presented to the community.
Sheek, who among other roles is a respected, retired Re-1 educator, has spoken of hearing Carter discuss what would happen to the old building. They were not alone in the room; it was filled with community leaders working together to help Carter build a new high school — people who wanted the best for students, people who recognized a valuable opportunity.
Some of those people were hopeful that the old high school could be used by the community. Carter assured them that the district would work with anyone who made a proposal. He did indeed say that even a $1 purchase offer would be considered. No one has stepped up with that dollar and the additional millions required to reclaim the space, which the district, in the push to win grant and bond funding for the new school, claimed was barely habitable.
Others, perhaps more realistic about the potential for ongoing occupancy of the building, especially in a town with a long-empty former Walmart with a vast empty parking lot out front, wanted assurances that the district would not leave a blighted acreage in that part of town. Carter provided those assurances. He explained that the grant application required a plan, and the primary plan was to demolish the building. The message all along was that the district didn’t want the old high school and unless someone else did, it would be torn down.
The group took him at his word. For Carter and the board to say now that no promises were made is disingenuous.
It is also unnecessary. Cortez residents, especially those who live near the old high school, may not be thrilled with the delays in dealing with the structure, but they are capable of understanding unpleasant surprises and financial constraints. So are city officials.
Because of the higher-than-expected cost of mitigating asbestos and other hazardous materials, Re-1 does not have the money to follow through. Another solution must be found. There is no harm in admitting that the district made a mistake in relying on information that turned out to be inaccurate. It happens.
But what happens next matters a lot.
How to behave when an assumption proves to be wrong or a plan falls apart is one of the most important lessons a student ever will learn. Everyone makes mistakes. Learn from them. Take responsibility. Figure out what you really have to work with, put one foot in front of the other, and start fixing the problem.
Do not shove people under the bus, and especially do not betray those who have helped you achieve your goals. Do not try to shift blame to others, including the messenger. Do not try to bluff your way out of commitments. Tell the truth.
We expect students to adhere to those rules, because everyone benefits when people follow them, and we certainly expect the superintendent to do as much.
The mayor is modeling the kind of tenacious leadership that city and district constituents have every right to expect. Carter seems to be claiming that his signature does not signify a commitment. The difference between the two is worth noting, as is the fact that Sheek is here to stay and the superintendent is moving on.
