Schools debate good warm-up for work ahead

Families in the Knik-Goose Bay and south Palmer areas are breathing a collective sigh this week, secure in the knowledge that relief is in sight for their overcrowded schools. Borough residents Tuesday approved nearly $40 million in bonds for construction of two new elementary schools and renovation of two existing schools.

The vote was a culmination of a contentious and politically tumultuous six months following the original rejection of the bonds by voters in the last election. Controversy first surrounded the date of the new election, as competing citizen groups advocated for the springtime special election or for simply revisiting the question in October, during the next regular election.

Once the date was fixed, contention centered on the merits of the bonds and their effect on property-tax rates.

With a couple of notable exceptions, debate, though sometimes heated, remained civil, and the end result showed the healthy fruit of a properly functioning democracy. Critics might quibble. After all, what kind of true democracy hangs its hat on voter turnout less than 18 percent?

Nonetheless, recent borough history shows this to be nearly a high-water mark for special election turnout, and much of that likely is attributable to the issue's high profile, brought about by the focused efforts of voter-education initiatives. Everyone involved in advancing the public debate on this issue, and in bringing about a result that will make the community more attractive to good future growth, deserves congratulations.

While it is easy to take comfort from this issue being behind us, it is prudent to note that this is not the story's final chapter. In many ways, it is just the beginning.

Explosive population growth has led to forecasts of hundreds of new students each year for the foreseeable future. School district officials say that will mean a new school a year, so residents surely will have to grapple with this issue again.

That signals challenges ahead for elected officials. With a tax cap in place and growing uneasiness among overburdened borough taxpayers, the horizon is far from clear. But the lessons learned this time around should be a good building block for the planning that lies ahead and the difficult decisions that are sure to follow.