To the editor:

We are in the season of wanting everything, but having to look at our budget and purchasing needs that we can afford.

The Mehlville School District wants a new School of Innovation. My question is: How much is the School of Innovation realistically going to cost? What about library books, art/gym equipment, classroom needs, ancillary staff and more?

How much of the needed, underfunded resources will be taken away from the current schools to fund the school? How many more fundraisers will PTOs have to do to make up the difference?

Is this following the strategic plan of a balanced use of district resources to support the learning of every student? The community voted to support our schools.

Is this the best use of their funds? I understand the need to keep moving forward, but can the district afford to spend over a million dollars to start a new school now?

I know we need to innovate and grow to become a destination district, but we should not do this at a cost to the rest of the students in the district. I hope the board takes this into consideration when deciding whether the district moves forward with this plan.

Suzanne McGinnis

Oakville