Petitioners calling for high school in North Liberty

A group of Iowa City school district parents is circulating a petition that argues for the need for a new high school in North Liberty.

The petition includes several proposals. Probably the most prominent is a call to start construction on a new high school in North Liberty that, if needed, could start as a ninth-grade center.

The Iowa City school district includes Iowa City, North Liberty, Coralville, University Heights and Hills.

The petition comes after Iowa City school board members last month told district administrators to look at alternatives to building a third comprehensive high school.

During a contentious redistricting debate two years ago, the school board voted to build a high school when the district had the enrollment and money to support one.

A 27-page document accompanying the petition makes clear some parents are worried the current board, which includes several new members from the 2010 board, will backtrack on that commitment.

The document also references the divide between the east and west sides of the district that was apparent during the 2010 redistricting process.

The petition includes proposals that would appeal to east-side parents, including the construction of a new elementary school. That was the subject of a petition circulated last month that had 739 signatures Wednesday morning.

The new petition had 835 signatures as of 11:25 a.m. Wednesday.

A committee has been studying a variety of questions related to a new high school. The current thinking is the school would be in the North Liberty area and have a capacity of 900 students. That would be well below the capacities of City High, at 1,600, and West High, 1,700.