At Russell Elementary, a teeming campus built in 1916, I would follow the swiveling fans as they buzzed high overhead (this being the pre-air conditioned era in Texas public education).

My son's school also brings me back to my less-distant past, to my days as a student at Harvard University, founded in 1636. Most of the buildings in Harvard Yard, the oldest corner of the campus, were built between 1720 and 1932. As at my son's school, the ceilings are high, the windows are heavy and drafty, and the floors and desks creak mightily.

Students at Hawthorne, just like students at Harvard, attend school for what goes on inside the buildings, for the inspiring teachers and challenging coursework, not for the architecture.

I hope that all San Antonians keep in sharp focus what's truly important about teaching and learning as the SAISD carries on with a discussion about the future of the district. I was impressed by the unprecedented degree of participation and communication that took place at the recent community meetings about the district's restructuring proposals. Too often, though, the meetings could be summarized by shopworn propaganda.

On the one hand, district leaders say, “Repurposing will allow the district to provide state-of-the-art facilities and enhanced academic and extracurricular options.” (Let's be honest: If a school no longer has teachers teaching and students learning, then it's been closed, not “repurposed.”) On the other hand, community activists say, “Save our schools.” Translation: Don't touch my school, even if it delivers a second-rate education, even if it faces a dropout crisis and a teen-pregnancy epidemic.

This dad wants to know one simple thing about a restructured SAISD: What will my son learn in his classroom? Will he receive a quality education?

For the moment, I'm thrilled that he eagerly tells me about the science experiment that he just conducted or about the project that he created in art class or about the stories that he read recounting the bravery and sacrifice of our nation's founders. The things that matter most to me about my son's education can take place anywhere and ought to take place everywhere. The building is unimportant.

If restructuring truly prepares students for college and for their careers, then it will prove a success. If restructuring allows the district to replicate proven academic programs with high standards then it will prove a success.

If restructuring provides for more campus-based curriculum specialists, librarians, and guidance counselors, then it will prove a success. If restructuring gives students a chance to explore their passions for art or music or athletics, then it will prove a success. If restructuring delivers our hard-working teachers, principals, and support staff the professional opportunities that they've earned, then it will prove a success.

But if, as the community discussions too often suggested, restructuring is simply about buildings, then schools with even the most state-of-the-art designs in even the most supportive neighborhoods face a steep and uncertain climb.

As the SAISD restructuring proposals move forward, let's openly discuss the hard decisions that are to come, and more important, what truly matters in our schools: Our children's classroom education.

Michael Soto is associate professor of English and director of the McNair Scholars Program at Trinity University.