Moon Area school board members voted Monday night not to redistrict elementary school children. Instead, all fifth-graders will be moved into the middle school in four years. Apparently, parents of students at Bon Meade do not want their children bused to another elementary school, even if space is available.

Bon Meade has been one of the most overcrowded elementary schools in the district. Parents have been complaining for more than 20 years when my sons attended Bon Meade.

My second son was one of the Bon Meade sixth-graders shuffled off to the middle school in the 1980s when the district closed Carnot and McCormack elementary schools and rented the buildings to USAir. The entire kindergarten through fifth-grade enrollment was spread among the remaining elementary schools and all sixth-graders were sent to the middle school.

Since then, only Band-Aid renovations/additions have been made to Bon Meade. Yet, a new high school still remains the top priority for school board President Mark Scappe and his majority, with apparent support from the district superintendent.

Now, nothing is going to be done for at least four more years. Why? Because a group of parents volunteered to attend a redistricting meeting. Apparently, during that meeting, it was determined that those parents do not mind waiting another four years.

Some of the overcrowding at Brooks Elementary School was alleviated with the recent reopening of the renovated McCormack Elementary School, and apparently there is no pressing overcrowding problem at either Allard or Hyde elementary schools.

The current plan will be to maintain Bon Meade students in a crowded situation for at least four more years, or possibly more, depending upon the construction plan being completed on time.

Do you get the impression there may be a lack of a sound building plan or perhaps a money problem here?

Of equal importance educationally, no decision has been made about offering all-day kindergarten. What happens if Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature mandate public kindergarten during the next four years? Will there be room in each elementary school?

The original bond and refinanced bond issue for construction totaled approximately $78 million. Mr. Scappe said that amount of money would update and facilitate all the construction and educational needs for at least the next 10 to 15 years. At this point, approximately $69.5 million has already been designated. Do you think maybe there will be another bond issue floated, or perhaps another millage increase?

What's wrong with this picture, and where is education in all of this maneuvering?

DOROTHY CARDIMEN

Crescent

School closings are difficult decisions that directly impact the lives of children. Typically, when districts want to close schools, they form a focus group of parents and concerned citizens to talk about the issues.

However, at Sto-Rox, the majority school directors are poised in June to close the Foster Kindergarten Center in West Park in Stowe and move those students to the elementary school in Kennedy without involving the public.

This pending decision has been conducted in a low-key manner, and its fast-track status shows the majority directors have little interest in public input.

I believe the underlying reason for this irrational move is because these directors want to convert the kindergarten building into an administrative center to be used for new offices and a plush boardroom. Closing Foster will force overcrowding at the elementary and will put teachers on carts traveling and sharing rooms.

Our students will suffer, and this community must demand better from its elected officials. If you attend only one meeting, you will see the majority directors do not focus on student achievement.

Instead, they get bogged down on trivial things like debating what type of toilet tissue or hand sanitizer dispensers to purchase. The majority directors seem selectively blind to the fact that 68 percent of our 11th-grade students were not proficient last year in mathematics and 56 percent of those same students were not proficient in reading.

We do not need nor can we afford new administrative offices and a plush boardroom. The increased expense for remodeling combined with increases in transportation costs may cause a future tax increase.

The community and parents who want to keep our Foster kindergarten neighborhood school open must unite and be a voice for kindergarten children at 7 p.m. next Thursday in the high school cafeteria by demanding majority directors put students first. Petitions will be available at the meeting to keep Foster school open.

DR. EDWARD J. MARITZ

Stowe

Editor's note: The author is a Sto-Rox school director.