You’d think that the one year delay of the purportedly “much anticipated” Kingston High School might have raised a few hackles outside the offices and meeting rooms of the North Kitsap School District. If it has, it would be news to us.

Instead, residents seem more concerned about the early hiring of a KHS principal and clearing the site prior to resolution of an appeal than miffed at the fact that the long awaited addition has been postponed until 2007. Sure, the appeal decision as well as the Department of Health determination are still up in the air but the fact that the delay received so little public response has us wondering: where exactly are the proponents of the new high school?

Progress on the district’s single largest project was halted less than two weeks ago and the opening of a school that will significantly impact the learning environment of hundreds of local students was pushed back one year — possibly longer (who can say for sure?) and area residents and parents seem fairly content with the situation.

Is this so?

Given the options the school board had placed before it, the decision to go with 2007 was certainly the prudent one but it is also one that could adversely affect the project as a whole. Such delays, especially when construction is involved, seldom lower the cost of the work at hand. Materials and labor won’t be getting any cheaper by adding another year to the timeline and as a result, the quality of Kingston’s newest school may either be forced to take a back seat to finances or simply cost the district more to build. Neither of which ultimately benefit the NKSD.