The Jamestown Public Schools’ capital needs, particularly at Jamestown High School, are nothing new.

Bret Apthorpe, former Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, made clear almost two years ago his intention to modernize the high school. The work is as necessary now as it was then.

Of course, the difference is Apthorpe wasn’t dealing with a state education budget decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic as Dr. Kevin Whitaker, the district’s current superintendent, will have to do.

The district’s $86.2 million capital project is a difficult one to analyze precisely because of the state’s budget problems. It’s hard to figure out what the state is doing when it can so easily spend $86.2 million over five years to provide better buildings in which to educate students and then shortchange school districts on the operating aid they need to educate those same children. As is often the case, the state’s logic makes no sense.

In our view, the state should take a second look at spending capital improvement dollars on shrinking districts that should be merging and, at worst, be building new buildings for a consolidated school district.

That isn’t Jamestown.

Locally, backing the project makes sense. The school district has money saved to pay the 2% of the project cost that the state isn’t paying. There is no local financial reason not to approve the project.

Its student population is steady, and the district did just consolidate the former Rogers Elementary School into neighboring elementary schools about a decade ago.

The project is a necessary one that comes at no local cost. It makes Jamestown High School a building better able to serve the needs of 21st century students and makes needed improvements in several other schools.

There will be plenty of opportunities this month for public input on the proposed capital project. We hope city residents will educate themselves — and then vote yes in May.