Build new school when numbers add up

By The Gazette Editorial Board

Iowa City school board members took the right approach when they decided last week to fill two existing high school buildings to capacity before building a third comprehensive high school.

Some district parents, who have been pushing to build the school sooner rather than later, are sure to be disappointed by their decision.

But while it's certain that the growing district will eventually need a third building to accommodate growing enrollment, that time hasn't yet come.

Until it does, the district should focus on other pressing needs.

School board members are right to plan for growth but focus now on interim changes that will best serve all the district's children.

First making the most of existing capacity is the smart and fiscally responsible choice.

Last week, school board members voted unanimously to eventually add a high school on the district's northwest side - where most of the district's growth is happening - but to focus current redistricting plans maximizing use of the two existing comprehensive high schools.

They have asked school administrators to bring to a May 25 board meeting their recommendation for how to shift elementary attendance areas to make that possible.

Board members said they're not interested in building permanent additions at City or West, but would use temporary structures at both those schools until enrollment numbers support a new high school.

They talked about

setting up financial and enrollment “trigger points” to help in the planning process. That's wise.

School redistricting has been a hot-button issue in the Iowa City school district, and the question of high school enrollment is no exception.

Even city leaders in Iowa City and Coralville have weighed in on the issue. But school officials have to keep all students' interests in mind, while practicing fiscal responsibility. Parents - and everyone with a stake in the outcome - should remember that.

Enrollment projections for the district predict growth of between 300 and 350 additional students each year for the next several years, spread through the elementary, junior high and high school levels.

Proponents of a third high school rightly point out that it makes sense to build a new high school in the Coralville/North Liberty area, where most of that growth is occurring.

But development in the area has slowed in the recent recession. Opponents are right to say that a new high school won't be needed for several years.

Building now, while the district is struggling to make budgetary ends meet, would take much-needed resources from existing buildings.

Until the numbers add up to justify a third comprehensive high school, Iowa City school officials are right to make do with the space and resources they've got.