A compromise has been reached regarding the new electronic sign at Murphy Junior High School, which had been the cause for concern for some residents for the past several weeks.
A wooden sign will replace the electronic sign at the entrance to the school and the electronic sign will be mounted on the side of the building, according to school board trustee Jonathan Kornreich and Kathleen and John Goldstein, who brought the issue to the school board at the Oct. 9 meeting.
The Goldsteins said they were satisfied with the outcome. "We think that the school district listened to our concerns and acted swiftly on them. The solution will improve the safety of the children who attend the school and the motorists who use Oxhead Road, and improve the aesthetics of the neighborhood," they said in an email to Patch.
To replace the electronic sign at the entrance, which cost the district $8,100, the Murphy Parent-Teacher Organization along with the Goldsteins have pledged donations to purchase the wooden sign. Jeffrey Carlson, assistant superintendent for business services, said the district is in the process of pricing out the new sign. The PTO could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kornreich said the district should take away an important lesson. "Things like this should go through a transparent process so the community can see what’s going on and have a chance to weigh in," he said.
But, he said, arriving at a solution such as this one says a lot about the community and the school district.
"I think that everybody showed a willingness to compromise, which was great," he said. "Everybody just wanted to be a good neighbor."
