On the November 2016 ballot, members of the Richfield and Bath community will find Bond Issue 45, a proposal for many updates to the Revere District, including a new high school.

Revere Local Schools has educated the public about Issue 45 and how it will benefit the community. The proposal includes plans to tear down and rebuild Revere High School as well as Bath Elementary School and to build new baseball and softball fields along with three new practice fields in the land adjacent to Hillcrest Elementary School. There are also plans to renovate both Hillcrest Elementary and Revere Middle School. The Revere third graders will move to Bath Elementary, and the preschool program at Bath will transfer to Hillcrest. This will help alleviate some of the overcrowding at Hillcrest.

Revere does have four functioning buildings, so some may think that building two new ones, along with additional renovations, would waste money and resources. The supposedly outdated facilities have not hindered the academic performance of the Revere students and the district still ranks well. With all the construction and renovations that will need to occur, is it necessary that the Revere Local School District build new schools?

Because Revere High School was constructed in 1951, it makes sense that the district should receive an update–and deservedly so. The community vetoed a similar proposal about eight years ago, and even then the updates and new facilities were more than needed. Students who would have benefited from new schools back then have been attending outdated and rundown schools for too long. It would be a better and more efficient use of the community’s tax dollars to construct two new schools than to continue with the cost of repairs and maintenance for the current buildings. As one of the most outdated schools in the area, Revere High School students deserve a building that will reflect the highly acclaimed academic and athletic performances they accomplish.

The Revere community has put together a committee, Families and Community Together for Schools (FACTS), which is in charge of educating the public about Issue 45. Revere Superintendent Matthew Montgomery explained that this group has been raising awareness about the issue and why Revere Schools would benefit from it.

“The most important thing is it’s going to change the way we offer a learning environment for our students. It’s time we make an environment more suited to today’s learners,” Montgomery said.

Voting for Issue 45 will benefit not only the Revere District, but the entire Richfield and Bath community. Having a nicer school to offer would greatly increase the values of properties in the area, which is something that would benefit everyone.
           
It is time for the Revere Local School District’s outsides to reflect the hardworking students and teachers inside.

Click HERE to view Revere’s Bond Issue 45 “Know the Facts” video