Warren County school board members are ready to have a hard conversation on Sept 9.

Are we?

The board will discuss a motion to close the Youngsville and Sheffield high schools at its next meeting. It’s a step no one really wants to take, but a step most board members and district administrators realize is a necessary one. Enrollment and budget numbers say the time has come to remake the district for the next 20 years. The enrollment we’ve lost isn’t coming back anytime soon. The tax base and employers we’ve lost aren’t coming back anytime soon.

While the population and businesses are leaving, the district’s spending is growing while educational offerings are not.

And that’s what the Sept. 9 meeting is really about. Keeping four high schools open doesn’t allow the district as a whole to offer the type of education Warren County students and their parents should expect.

There are two directions the Sept. 9 meeting can take – one that looks backward and one that looks forward. Looking back is essentially a rehash of every other meeting where a school building closure has been discussed. Those arguments led us here. Making a decision on those old arguments means we’ll be at this point again within the next year or two. Let’s not repeat past mistakes.

Looking forward is more productive. How do we overcome the community’s legitimate concerns about transportation and opportunities? How do we help those students who may struggle with the transition? What type of new learning opportunities can we expect not only for Sheffield and Youngsville high school students, but new opportunities created for existing Warren Area High School students as well? How will a new configuration turn out graduating classes better able to go to college or enter the workforce each year?

We’re sure it will be a packed house on Sept. 9. We have no doubt there will be those who still want to cling to the old four high school model that has gotten us here -a district that struggles to balance its budget each year, that keeps cutting courses and activities for students so we can keep small schools open.

Are we ready to take the leap? We hope so. It’s time.