news-record.com

No wonder parents living in the southeastern part of the county feel like they're being shortchanged by Guilford County Schools.

Many supported last year's school construction bonds with the understanding that a new elementary school would be built in their district.

To their dismay and anger, the school board voted, instead, to locate it on property within the Eastern High district, based on staff reports that no available tracts in the southeast met school construction criteria.

But, according to information that surfaced last week, neither does the site chosen outside their district.

School board member Paul Daniels, who represents the southeast, says school staffers originally had concluded that the chosen site would support a septic system, a critical factor.

Since then they've reportedly backtracked and now say it will be necessary to connect to the Greensboro sewer system at an additional cost of between $200,000 and $2 million.

Even though backing out comes with some baggage, the school board should allow the current land option to expire at the end of this month and insist that rejected sites in the southeast get a second, closer look.

And members also should demand more staff accountability in what critics see as a faulty decision-making process. They need to know, in this instance, if the recommendation to purchase was made without knowing all of the facts. Or if, somehow, circumstances changed in just months.

While it's true that the far-flung school system must make tough choices based on growth patterns, accessibility and infrastructure, community allegiances still must be given consideration. Schools often are the bond that brings neighborhoods and families closer together.

Even factoring in delays and the costs of an aborted deal, in the long run, it's better to start over.