Yesterday marked my one-year anniversary of starting at The Post.

When I was offered the job and told I would be covering education I was excited. Education is something that I am passionate about and enjoy covering. My first question was how are the schools, and I was told they’ve had struggles, but are improving.

I then heard buzzwords such as Leader in Me and career academies for the first time.

In the year since, I have learned that yes, there are improvements to be made, but there are also incredible things happening within the district. I have been taken on student-led tours through multiple elementary schools. I’ve covered symposiums, graduations and I’ve talked to science fair winners, student engineers and talented musicians.

I also had the chance to meet the six great new principals who started this year and interview each of the amazing, life-changing teachers nominated for teacher of the year.

Leader in Me has gone from a word with no meaning to a culture that I can see permeating everything the district does and the career academies have gone from an idea to a reality.

Two weeks ago when I went to Warren Central Junior High for an interview, it meant that in my year I had stepped foot in every school in the district. While I have been inspired by the teachers and students I have met and the programs that are being instituted, it has been sad to see the state of some of the schools.

Every time I go to Vicksburg High, I get lost. There are so many staircases I never know which one to take.

When I covered an indoor percussion competition at Warren Central, every one in the sold out crowd had to walk around garbage cans in the middle of the hallway catching rainwater from a hole in the ceiling.

Many of the issues with the buildings, the leaking roofs, the old wiring, lack of outlets and old intercom and fire systems that are safety hazards are hard to see on a tour. The less important things like pealing paint, old bathrooms and overcrowding are apparent.

The district has invested in programs, there are great teachers and administrators in places, but the buildings where the students are learning and teachers are working are failing them and they deserve better.

For communities to grow and prosper they must invest in their schools. Warren County has that chance Tuesday by voting for the bond referendum that will drastically overhaul every school.

On Facebook and elsewhere people keep asking why wasn’t this work done over time. The answer is this type of work cannot be done out of the budget. The state has cut funding and every dollar the district gets goes toward programs, transportation, salaries and day-to-day expenses.

The best argument I have heard for the bond is that taking out a loan is for necessary items. You don’t save for 30 years so you can pay cash for a house, no you take a mortgage and for a car you take a loan. These changes the district needs aren’t frivolous, they aren’t something that can happen piece by piece. They are necessary and paramount to the schools district and the town taking that next step forward. And they need the community’s support for it to happen.

  Brandon O’Connor is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at brandon.oconnor@vicksburgpost.com.