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Answers can be found in working together

"Did you hear that no side won?" greeted a motherly voice as I trudged down the stairs early Wednesday afternoon (June 17).

"No I haven't," I respectfully replied, even though in my mind they had before the voting even started. In those moments neurons in my brain began to rapid fire, an attempt by my mind to calculate how such a complex issue, school renovation, had become a black and white, yes or no matter.

On one side of the issue are the individuals in support of the $13.1 million plan. They are those who feel the school has been long neglected. They are the parents who believe their children should have the very best of everything. They are administrators and teachers who themselves feel neglected. They are the people who want Delphi High to be a shining beacon of pride for the community. They are students sick of being subjected to the daily ice-box and hellish temperature variances at the high school.

On the other side are the naysayers. They are the scrutinizers who ask why maintenance has been neglected for so long. They are people who believe the school has "screwy" priorities. They are the thinkers who wonder why the science wing has been neglected for 30 plus years while Delphi has a new track, new basketball courts, new bleachers, and a very lovely field which someday will be a great "investment." They are people who feel the plan includes too many indulgences that are merely "wants" instead of "needs." They are the frustrated male students whose only thought concerns are whether $13.1 million will be enough to put the doors back on the bathroom stalls.

Now that I've highlighted the many differences in voters, let me remind you of the one thing each has in common: the desire that Carroll County's students receive a quality education. Whether they were voting no or yes, I assure you each resident truly was casting a vote "for the children." A yes vote - hoping new "stuff" will make our children brighter. A no vote - worried about the debt future adults will inherit. And so you see, together we really do want the same thing: to work towards a bright future.

But, how did this vote work towards a bright future? What did we accomplish? My answers: it didn't, and nothing. No one actually won. Each side lost. The school has lost an opportunity for many needed improvements and updates. Carroll County's students have lost. However, there is one thing that has not been lost: hope. Specifically, my hope that this loss will bring members of the community and DCSC together in search of a solution to what I'm going to call the school's "renovation crisis."

Lastly, let me remind you of our corporation's full name: Delphi Community School Corporation. The idea is right here in the name: community. With community and a brighter future in mind, shouldn't it be easy for our county to think up the best plan?

Amanda Jeffries

Delphi