Thanks, Ms. Robarts, for calling attention to the problems with MMSD’s fallback proposal for boundary changes on the west side, if a referendum to build a new elementary school should fail. You point out that under the fallback plan, too many kids would be coming and going from some schools, and that the boundary changes would disproportinately affect certain schools on the west side.
Do you know if anyone has come up with a better proposal to handle west side growth, in the event we can’t build a new school?

I studied MMSD’s posted proposals on the web site and came away with the impression that the administration couldn’t figure out a way to make room in the west side elementaries to cover 2010 projections without either building a new school or reshuffling a lot of kids around now. It was my sense that they were trying for a solution that would preclude the need for new boundaries, at least for 5 years.
It did also cross my mind that maybe on purpose they’re making all the alternatives to building a new school look bad.
If this is the case, I would think someone should be able to propose a better fallback plan. Do you know if anyone has? In other words, in objecting to the administration’s fallback proposal, are you saying we need a better fallback plan (and that you know of one), or that we’d better pass a building referendum?
Thanks for any help with this, and also for your alert.