To the Editor:

Opposition to the school bond issue in Clayton (Proposition S) is far more complicated than Bill McClellan would lead one to believe. This bond leaves out the Wydown Middle School, the school most in need of renovation, meaning that a second bond issue will be coming next year. Many of us feel that it is unwise to try to pass two bonds in
two consecutive years, especially in these difficult economic times.
We are also unhappy with a lack of transparency in the School Board’s dealings with Washington University regarding the Wydown/CBC land swap, which has since been dropped.

Clayton residents opposed moving the middle school to the old CBC site on Clayton Road for multiple reasons, including safety concerns for the students walking to school, the desire to keep the school in a more residential setting, and concerns about further encroachment
of Washington University into the surrounding neighborhoods.
Washington University has, indeed, bought several homes in the Skinker Heights neighborhood, actions that have been opposed by most of the neighborhood’s residents. This is not because we do not want a few more professors in the neighborhood, but because we fear the university’s long term plans. The university administration has stated that they wish to have Forsyth Blvd. re-zoned in order to demolish historic buildings such as the Chancellor’s house and the Whittemore House (properties that extend into our neighborhood) and put up more academic buildings. Washington University now owns all of the homes on University Lane except one (which they plan to eventually acquire) — how long before they decide that they need to tear those down, too?

I’m glad that Bill McClellan enjoys our “small town election” here in Clayton. Perhaps he would enjoy it even more if he understood the issues.

Eric Lederman
President, Skinker Heights Neighborhood Association
Clayton