February 21, 2025

Some readers may recall, or at least know of, the old Broadway musical Damn Yankees. In the show is a musical number “Whatever Lola Wants,” performed in the movie version of the show by dancer, singer, and actress Gwen Verdon.

The thought of some people always getting what they want started coming to mind in the fall after hearing Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville talk about the three options posed for C.F. Paton Middle School. Those options were to either, maintain the school as is as best as possible, renovate the building, or replace it with a new structure.

I asked myself at the time, last October, what might happen, and the thought came back as “Whatever the superintendent wants is what the school board will agree to.” And that’s what happened. The board voted on Feb. 18 to issue an RFP, Request for Proposal, for design work for a new school.

A show of hands from those who thought the vote would go otherwise.

I was already thinking about changing the lyric line from “Whatever Lola wants” to “Whatever Sanville wants” when several residents started talking about the numbers, what the various options would cost, and how those costs would affect taxes.

But let’s look at a few things first. I’m no expert on buildings and can’t say for certain that the current school building should be replaced, but I did tour the building in October and found it to be uncomfortable at best. The hallways are narrow, so narrow that even a person as short as I am felt cramped. There was a dreariness without any natural light coming in. Parts of the school felt dark even with lights on. No windows in 70 percent of the classrooms.

Adding to the problem is the age of the physical plant. The electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are original, we’re told. That can’t be a good thing since Patton was built in 1972.

So, maybe the building should be replaced. But also, maybe those problems can be addressed through renovation or ongoing maintenance. Some members of the public have said just that during recent school board meetings.

But maybe the problems can’t be solved without a new school. At least that’s the board’s point of view since they voted unanimously to move forward with the idea of building a new one at Sanville’s recommendation.

But the biggest problem and one that could linger for a long time is one of trust. Many people in the community feel that the school board and administration had their minds already made up to vote for a new building even before the formal recommendation in January. As one person said in an email the following day, the vote for the RFP was no surprise.

Many residents felt they were being ignored, and not taken seriously by board members and administrators by how they interacted with members of the community who question the cost figures and their impact on tax rates.

This isn’t new. The same feelings arose during the move to renovate the high school. It comes down to a matter of communication, something bureaucracies, both corporate and governmental, don’t necessarily do well when dealing with the public.

Some people, especially those with specific professional backgrounds and areas of expertise don’t necessarily ask politically correct questions. Their questions are more pointed. And when those questions go to the heart of the matter, such as what will this replacement option do to a homeowner’s taxes, straight answers are needed. Multiple residents with backgrounds in finance felt they never got those straight answers, or that they had to constantly press the administration for them. Even then the response was murky, one said.

Those people weren’t trying to block a new school, they wanted answers,wanted responses from objective third parties, so they could make an informed assessment.

Again, this is all a matter of communication, clear communication without any ambiguity.

During the Feb. 19 school board meeting, Director Rashi Akki spoke about the problems with communication, saying “It’s something we need to improve upon.”

Absolutely. But sending more emails and adding website links aren’t cutting it. They can help, sure, but they can also cause an email overload. What’s needed is simple human-to-human communication. And that communication needs to be clear, concise, and straightforward.

Board members are correct when they say the community comment portion of the agenda is not for dialogue with the board, but a chance for residents to say what’s on their minds. But if a question is asked, that should be addressed during the school director’s comment period. There’s plenty of time considering that, while residents are limited to three minutes (sometimes more), directors don’t seem to have any time limit at all when they speak. Some go on and on.

People deserve honest responses that can be clearly understood by all. They deserve more than the feeling that a decision on a controversial issue is a foregone conclusion. A good communication approach might also help restore a greater level of civility, as some people have said they want.

As for those who want to make public comments, make your point in the same manner. Be clear and concise.

And if all that fails, maybe do away with government schools. But that’s a subject for another time.

In the meantime, maybe I’ll catch Gwen Verdon performing “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets” at her comedic-vampy best.