Letter: Wooster school facilities plan misrepresents district's core neighborhoods

I have noticed that Wooster City Schools Superintendent Gabe Tudor, a recent transplant to our community, repeatedly refers to the area of the city located north of downtown and south of Wayne Avenue or even Highland Avenue as the south side of town.

Aside from sounding judgmental to those of us who do not live in the north end of Wooster, also known as the Walmart corridor, it also does not reflect the traditional understanding of the identities of these neighborhoods.

The Beaver Street neighborhood, for example, is known as the Founders' Row or Founders' Village, while upper Quinby Avenue has been known as Millionaires' Row.

Other midtown areas are often referred to by their relation to the College of Wooster, Christmas Run Park, the Y or district, simply as Wooster's historic districts.

The true south side of Wooster's neighborhoods also have their cherished identities.

Some of these are Little Italy, Callowhill area, Spink Inc., Library Corner and the Presidents Streets.

One state goal of the school facilities plan is to loosen neighborhood ties in a misguided belief that a homogenized approach to students' educational experience will result in "One Wooster" and magically achieve equity and promote "global unity."

Please, Superintendent Tudor, stop marginalizing Wooster's core neighborhoods by mislabeling them as you attempt to justify your extravagantly expensive plan, the total cost of which is apparently approaching $200 million and seeks to fundamentally transform Wooster's schools, neighborhoods and cultures.

Jamie Klingelhoefer, Mansfield

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Letter: Wooster City Schools sends wrong message with facilities plan