Another setback for the West Knox High School
The Knoxville News Sentinel and WATE provide coverage of last nights school board workshop concerning the fate of the new Hardin Valley High School. The “new” plan is too built a school for 1,300 students and to built the cafeteria, gym, and auditorium for 2000 students. The second phase of the school, an edition for 700 students, would be built 3 to 5 years after the school is opened. Has there ever been a more disrespectful and contemptible power play in Knox County government?
There has not been a high school built in West Knox County for 25 years. This high school was needed ten years ago. Were there people on the school board that wanted to buy land and hold it for the future? I have heard there were but the matter never came to a vote because of the same old day in day out politics of Knox County.
There is money in the Knox County budget for this school to be built for 2000 students. The problem is Mayor Mike Ragsdale. He asks that others compromise but he reserves the right to never compromise. This entire problem started when Mayor Ragsdale arbitrarily picked a 40 million dollar number for the price of the new school. Anyone could have told the Mayor that it was impossible to build a 2000 student high school for 40 million dollars. The Mayor’s excuse is that the school was originally to hold 1700 students and he remains steadfast that the school could have been built using “special” construction techniques to come in on budget. Those “special” construction techniques could come from his brother in law who owns a prominent construction firm. There was a great deal of light shined on that and the normal pesky bidding process occurred instead.
Then there were the two convenient hurricanes Katrina and Rita. What a perfect excuse to hide the fact that the Mayor’s 40 million dollar price tag was not achievable. But much time has past since the hurricanes and that excuse no longer washes.
Just as the wheel tax was a tax trying to find a reason to exist this school is another exercise in politics over community needs. The song the “Ragsdale Shuffle” perfectly illustrates that the wheel tax was more about Mayor Ragsdale showing he was a leader than it was about a real need for the tax. Once the wheel tax finally landed on the new high school the budget problems were over. Or were they?
Let’s take a look at what has happened since Mayor Ragsdale triumphed with his wheel tax victory. 8 million Knox County dollars have been spent on the Great Schools Program to little affect. 5 million Knox County dollars have been sent to Blount County for a business park to be built in Blount County which provides no benefit for the people of Knox County. It has also been alleged that the wheel tax was actually a secret plan to fund an industrial development bond issue for the Farmers Market for what eventually became the new Target.
Before the Mayor Ragsdale administration there was no Chief of Staff office and there was not two offices for Senior Communications Director and Deputy Communications Director. These offices cost Knox County taxpayers over $280,000 per year.
Mayor Ragsdale has become an impediment to building this needed Hardin Valley High School. The people of Knox County have to wonder if Mayor Ragsdale understands what the meaning of the word compromise is?
