Published: August 04, 2008 07:19 pm         

Nuttall School

Don’t be surprised if it stays closed

Fayette County’s newly elected school board is steaming toward a showdown with the state Board of Education over the status of Nuttall Middle School.

And while the majority of the local school board has voted to begin the process to reopen Nuttall, after the previous board voted earlier this year to close it, residents hoping to see the school open for classes later this month should hold off until a final determination is made by state officials.

You see, the Fayette board now lacks the legal authority to expend any funds to prepare Nuttall for reopening, and they’ve been told as much by state school board president Delores Cook.

The county’s Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan needed amending, which the board did last night, and now it needs state approval.

In most circumstances, the state board would likely sign off on the wishes of a local board, but Fayette County might be an exception.

Already being on a “probation” of sorts with the state board — which has indicated it may take over operation of the school system if a number of deficiencies aren’t adequately addressed — reopening an 82-year-old school which has structural deficiencies might not be a priority since multiple measures had already been put in place and funding was restructured after February’s vote to close Nuttall.

At the end of the day, the most important part of this equation needs to be how to deliver a quality education to the students in the safest environment.

Reopening Nuttall may in fact be the best option; far be it for us to decide.

But we do believe at this juncture the state school board needs to delve into the matter a little deeper — some people without a dog in the fight — to determine what’s best.