There must be some other solution for overcrowding

Frontiersman editorial board

Under a storm of protest from parents Wednesday night, the Mat-Su Borough School Board voted to change boundary lines for only one school. Initially, the board was considering boundary changes for six schools - a move that could have affected nearly 500 students.

The proposed boundary changes were in response to serious overcrowding problems in the district, and would have required some students to move to less crowded schools - an unpleasant prospect for any student or parent, and especially undesirable for seniors. Some students, for example, might have been moved from Wasilla High School to Houston.

Parents showed up for the meeting in droves, spilling out into the hall and leaving many without seats. People testified for two hours during the emotional meeting, and no one spoke in favor of the boundary changes. The underlying theme seemed to be, "There must be some other solution."

Parents asked for more portables, either purchased or rented, to be placed at crowded schools. In the past, the board has contended that the continued addition of portables is cost prohibitive, and that portables are only a temporary solution - at best delaying the inevitable.

The problem is that even if the district added a new school every year, it would not be enough to stem the increasing tide of school enrollment tied to the mind-boggling growth in the Valley.

On Wednesday, the board responded to the impassioned pleas of parents, but the response came with a word of caution. Next year, we'll be right back here again.

The threat of boundary changes has dissipated for now, but the reality of overcrowding remains. The board's decision to postpone action will satisfy those concerned parents, but it will do nothing to reduce the strain on teachers and students trying to navigate their way through hallways and classrooms pushed to critical mass.

The solution, which must come soon, cannot be postponed. If boundary changes are the immediate solution to the overcrowding problem, then next year's boundaries should be established now, giving schools and parents every opportunity to prepare for the changes.

Even more critical is the need for a long-term solution, and that's going to mean more buildings. Buckle up when that debate begins.