ShawneeDispatch.com

To facilitate an open transfer policy, the De Soto USD 232 Board of Education decided Monday to provide busing for children in certain subdivisions who voluntarily transfer from Riverview to Clear Creek Elementary School for the upcoming school year.

Jack Deyoe, district director of operations, reported that numerous parents would be willing to move their children only if transportation were available.

The board also answered questions from several parents who shared concern about the timing of the decision as well as the future of attendance boundary lines.

In April's kindergarten roundups, the district learned that it would have many more children than expected to start school next year, particularly in Riverview's attendance area.

In an effort to alleviate overcrowding at Riverview next year without making an official boundary change on short notice, the board decided at its May 3 meeting to allow an open transfer policy from Riverview to either Prairie Ridge or Clear Creek elementary schools for the 2004-05 school year.

Children from Brittany Valley, Holiday Hills, Deerfield Trace and Millcreek Meadows subdivisions most likely would be required to move to Clear Creek under unavoidable new boundary lines for the 2005-06 school year.

On May 5, schools sent out a letter asking parents to decide by May 18 where their children would attend.

Brittany Valley resident Scott Anglemyer said he realized the difficulty of projecting and appreciated the district's attempt to be accommodating. However, Anglemyer said, the timing was poor and he felt hurried to make this decision without knowing more things for certain.

"That's frustrating for us," he said. "That's really, really frustrating for us.

"We're still confused and bewildered, and we don't know what we're going to do next year."

Parent Marilyn Boaz, who lives in Millcreek Meadows, said she also felt unprepared to make a decision by Tuesday. She said she would volunteer to send her son to Clear Creek to help the situation at Riverview but wanted reassurance that he would not have to switch schools again.

"My goal is to keep my son in one school and not have him school hopping," she said.

Superintendent Sharon Zoellner said that new attendance boundaries had not yet formally been written but would be during the next year. However, the four aforementioned subdivisions would be the ones whose boundaries ultimately would be moved to Clear Creek as discussed at the last board meeting.

"There is no reason at this point in time to think that's going to be any different," she said.