Parents Oppose Meridian School Changes
By Bill Roberts, The Idaho Statesman, Boise
Jan. 4–Sherry Rogan wants no part of a plan that would move her daughter from Eagle High School in 2008.
“We bought a home in Eagle,” Rogan told a Meridian School District committee proposing school attendance boundaries that could put her daughter into the planned Rocky Mountain High School near Meridian in two years.
“We want to be able to stay at Eagle High School.”
Rogan was one of seven people who spoke Wednesday against a plan to put students from Banbury subdivision near Eagle Road and Chinden Boulevard in Heritage Middle School next fall and Rocky Mountain High School in 2008,
None of the 30 people attending the meeting spoke in favor of changing the Banbury attendance lines.
Meridian School District officials are holding more meetings during the next two weeks to hear from residents who would be affected by their plan.
The next meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Meridian High School. District officials will go to the Meridian School Board with proposed attendance zone on Jan. 23.
The hottest subject in the proposed boundary changes is Banbury, a subdivision that would have about 53 students of the 2,600 district students that would be affected. The boundary changes are expected to happen this year and in 2008.
Banbury parents say their children like the Eagle schools and don’t want to lose friends by having to switch to Heritage or Rocky Mountain.
Banbury is the only subdivision in Eagle being considered for the boundary change.
“We want to stay in Eagle,” said Sari Trompke, a Banbury parent. “We want to stay with our community.”
A few Banbury parents have said they want to change to the new schools because they are closer to home than the Eagle schools.
The two new schools were approved by voters in a bond election in 2005. Boundary changes are meant to ease overcrowding at Eagle and Meridian high schools and at Sawtooth Middle School.
Without the new high school to ease the pressure, Eagle High could have more than 3,000 students by 2008. That’s at least 1,000 more students than it was built to handle.
Meridian High could reach 2,400, about 500 more than capacity.
Proposed boundaries for Rocky Mountain would take students living as far south as Fairview Avenue and as far north as the Boise River and move them from Eagle and Meridian high schools.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact reporter Bill Roberts at broberts@idahostatesman.com or 377-6408.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Idaho Statesman, Boise
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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