Milt Johns heartily supports new high school aquatic center

In a letter to the editor, Prince William County School Board Chairman Milt Johns has written a cogent, well stated endorsement of the aquatic center initiative at the soon-to-be built 12th high school.

By Milt Johns
Chairman at Large, Prince William County Schools

“Pool” has two meanings in Prince William County this summer—a place to cool down and an issue that is heating up as residents debate the proposed addition of a countywide aquatics center to the building of the area’s 12th high school. Opening that school by September 2016 means the School Board must decide on the issue one way or the other and award building contracts by year’s end.

I strongly support the center proposal but respect thoughtful opinions on both sides. However, I urge all concerned to ignore misinformation and personal attacks from online provocateurs who offer nothing but negativity. Let’s decide the issue based on important questions.

Is an aquatics facility needed and central to the PWCS mission? Would it benefit the entire community rather than just one school? Is it a smart investment in tough financial times? To each, I say a resounding, “Yes!”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drowning is second only to motor vehicle accidents for causing unintentional injury-related deaths of 1-14 year-olds. African American kids are at three times the risk as white children. But studies show swimming ability can make a life-saving difference. How can teaching an essential survival skill be anything but central to our mission?

Beyond safety lessons, the aquatics center would aid the sleep-deprived swim and dive teams countywide who currently rush to practice in scarce available pools before dawn. Efficient scheduling of an aquatics facility at the 12th high school would help teams countywide accept more participants and still get to practice at reasonable hours.

Family finances would improve too. Current supply and demand drives the parent-borne cost of pool rental skyward. PWCS-controlled swim and diving space would force training costs back to Earth. Savings would be shared by team members from Woodbridge to Gainesville, a benefit not provided by currently planned private projects.

A PWCS aquatics center promises lucrative competitions and home-pool advantage in academic pursuits such as underwater robotics, as well as athletics. Health and PE programs could add aquatic components to combat student obesity and shape healthy lifestyles.

The center would give students with physical challenges new access to competitive sports, enriching their lives while enabling PWCS to meet new federal mandates. Other student benefits include therapeutic options for individuals with special needs and physical therapy career training for others.

The PWCS Strategic Plan emphasizes student health and wellness, along with academic growth. Like lacrosse, baseball, and football, it never mentions aquatics; but few health and athletic facilities could match the aquatics center in delivering cost-effective, strategic benefits to the entire student body.

An aquatics center offers a county recreation boon too. Groups from toddlers to seniors could enjoy a wide range of water-based exercise, training and fun. Their user fees would help defray a significant share of operating costs.

PWCS would likely run the center in close collaboration with county parks and recreation, leveraging county expertise to reduce costs and maximize efficiency. School Division involvement would ensure the center is built promptly and delivers on student needs.

Project opponents emphasize that PWCS faces big challenges such as reducing class sizes, boosting teacher pay and student performance, all with tight finances. I agree. Student performance can always be improved; we’ve made that an ongoing effort. Compensation must attract and retain the best employees, and the School Board has already directed that raises be included in each year of the five-year Budget Plan. We have instructed the Superintendent to develop and implement plans to begin lowering class sizes, even one grade level at a time. And we never forget that taxpayers foot the bill. Still, these realities do not preclude seizing new opportunities.

Adding an aquatics center is the kind of thoughtful, strategic decision to enhance the PWCS education experience that must be made even in tough times. The center issue should not be a catch-all for every education-related frustration. Nor is its price tag a piggy bank to fund solutions.

The average $722 thousand annual cost of paying off center construction over 20 years is already factored into the five-year budget and is a part of the approved Capital Improvements Program. New operating expenses can be largely offset by user fees. The resulting taxpayer cost for the center, while not insignificant, is less than 0.2 percent of our yearly PWCS budget.

Dollars could certainly be used differently. But is an aquatics facility serving the entire county less valuable than the top-notch school football facility or great specialty programs we routinely approve? Like them, it is no luxury; it’s an investment in delivering on the full meaning of a World-Class Education.

The School Board and administration are already working together toward needed improvements in compensation, class sizes, and other priority areas; failing to build an aquatics center would not substantially change the equation on any of those issues.

With construction of the 12th high school around the corner, the so-called “pool issue” demands action. We can retreat or have the vision to dive confidently into the future. I believe that the right “pool decision” would help our students learn to swim, to compete and to always stay afloat. Together, I hope my School Board colleagues and I can resolve the question: “Isn’t that what education should do?”

We live in the 21st century. Probably the same people who are vocal against the pool were also against football lights, calculators and computers being part of the curriculum, and exercise bikes in the library at Patriot High School. Is it jealousy or just failure to recognize that educational needs have changed greatly since they were in school.

One thing Mr. Johns said that I think bears repeating:

I strongly support the center proposal but respect thoughtful opinions on both sides. However, I urge all concerned to ignore misinformation and personal attacks from online provocateurs who offer nothing but negativity. Let’s decide the issue based on important questions.

The misinformation and the vitriol that has been spewed over this pool is outrageous. At some point Virginia schools are going to have to join the rest of the nation as far as swimming being treated as a major sport. The time is now. We don’t always want to be the ones playing catch up.

As we strive to attract new businesses with high paying jobs, let’s also remember that good schools are a real drawing card when companies consider major moves into an area. A county with an school based aquatic center not only attracts businesses but it also increases the value of our homes.

Thanks to Milt Johns for sticking with this initiative through thick and thin. Throughout his chairmanship, he has continued to show vision for the school system and the county in general. The aquatic center is just another example.