Recently I learned of a proposed plan to close Lomond View Elementary in Pleasant View. I reached out to Weber’s Superintendent, Gina Butters who wrote back, “Lomond View is one of our oldest and most difficult and expensive schools to maintain. It was opened in 1959. To add state mandated safety measures (HB 40 & HB 84), and address necessary capital improvements at the school, it would cost upwards of 3 million dollars. In reality, closing this school would be fiscally responsible and ensure savings, over future years, in significant maintenance and operational costs.”

Lomond View is also only partially air conditioned, so WSD is looking at the cost of installing AC throughout the school, along with a new roof, re-piping and installing new exterior doors. This makes one wonder why WSD didn’t have money set aside for this type of work early on. On an attached table she emailed me, it shows closing Lomond View will save the school district more than $1.2 million annually. But many in the community question whether closing a neighborhood school now will cost more later, especially with growth in the area projected to surge. We’ll just see a new bond in the coming years.

Ms. Butters goes on to explain surrounding schools like Orchard Springs and North Ogden Elementary are not operating at full capacity, having enough space to welcome students for the eminent boundary shift should Lomond View close. This possible closure then leads to the question of surplus property and a vacant building in the center of a Pleasant View neighborhood. Will it be a park? Will it be sold to a developer? Residents are chomping at the bit to hear these answers. Are they already predetermined?

While Lomond View families fight to keep their school open, Green Acres Elementary in North Ogden is locked in a battle for something a little more simple, but just as important– a new playground. As I’ve previously written, Green Acres Parent Teacher Organization has been working to raise $199,999 to upgrade the lower grades’ equipment and build an all-inclusive area for the upper levels grades to support the Life Skills Classes so these kids can play with their peers side-by-side.

Why is this on the backs of parents instead of the district’s budget? Because Weber School District has no repair-and-replace line item for playgrounds, counting instead on community donations and carnivals. Is this the funding fate for Weber School Foundation’s new Teen Centers equipped with washers and dryers? Will West Field High need to throw an epic school carnival to support their state-of-the-art football stadium with its multiple tracks, weightlifting room and training field house? Are there lines within a district’s budget to pay for repairs needed over the next decade or will it fall to the community to fundraise once again?

I can appreciate the need for more funds. Building materials cost more. Inflation eats paychecks. Teachers need raises in a profession that has become politicized and exhausting with no private life. Ms. Butters explains, “While no one likes a tax increase, school boards are responsible for addressing the ongoing needs of 32,000 students, over 4,000 employees, and the ongoing maintenance/safety-related costs of nearly 50 school buildings and district facilities, and a fleet of over 150 buses. School boards must also legally and financially address non-funded/partially funded legislative mandates.”

Still, while the School Board did address funding these mandates, our local schools are going without the fundamental parts that make childhood joyful. My kids may have outgrown playgrounds, but I remember when that patch of slides and swings was where they first learned how to share, take turns, and make friends. For many families, that space is as important as the classroom.

Parents at Lomond View Elementary are mobilizing through a Facebook page called “Save Lomond View Elementary”, now with 192 followers. There I learned the current security cameras used for the school were paid for through fundraising efforts of the PTA. It’s frustrating to realize we’re asked to pay taxes, accept increases and yet be expected to pay further for luxury items like a playground or security cameras.

This Friday, September 19th from 5-7pm, Green Acres PTO is hosting a family carnival with every penny going towards the building of these playgrounds. More than 60 volunteers are ready to offer face painting, games, live music and food, making it a great start to the weekend and maybe building a community park.

Superintendent Butters was quoted as saying in a recent Ryan Aston article, “I believe strongly, from my standpoint, from my perspective — as a school district, we believe it’s a moral imperative, we believe that it’s our job … to make sure that every one of our students has the support that they need to be successful.” I couldn’t agree more but that support has to be more than the government mandates, more than the press that comes from new flashy schools and stadiums, it needs to also be the fundamentals like playgrounds and community building.

If you’re interested in speaking about the closure of Lomond View Elementary, the Weber School Board is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, October 1 at 6pm at Weber School District offices located at 5320 Adams Ave. Pkwy, Ogden.