Cegelka Should Rethink Complaints about School Board

Councilman Cegelka's criticism of the Fayette County School Board's failure to inform the public of the issues surrounding tonight's open meeting are not without merit. It would have been best to have information on the school issue released in advance of the meeting. The public needs to know which schools are facing changes and how drastically boundaries must be adjusted. We cannot expect to offer insightful feedback on the needed adjustments to school boundaries when they are presented with the issue just a few moments before they must make decisions.

School Superintendent Stu Silberman admits the county does not have a plan for adjusting boundaries yet, he is hoping to get ideas from tonight’s meeting. The issue is difficult considering the controversy over school redistricting we faced just two years ago, but fifteen Fayette schools already are at the overcrowding threshold. Part of the problem in making changes stems from the out-of-area enrollments which force children from neighborhood schools to make room for students from other parts of town. But a larger part of the problem forcing Fayette County to constantly tinker with school boundaries is the uncontrolled development going on all over the county.

Councilman Cegelka has been a strong advocate of additional schools in the Andover area. He has not however, presented any ideas for plans to pay for the additional construction. Perhaps he should refrain from being overly critical of the school system since his votes on the council have supported the massive overdevelopment causing the problem. New developments require new schools, roads, and other urban county government support. Funds raised from the developments are not sufficient to cover the costs, nor is the city able to meet the needs of these new residents without adding to the burden of those already here. We need better planning for sustainable growth.