We are writing to express our concern with the impact of the proposed reboundary plans, which will add students to Rosa Parks Elementary School and Evergreen Middle School. Rosa Parks is already stretched to the limit, presently at 126 percent of capacity, and with the proposed reboundary plans will reach 146 percent to 157 percent of capacity. (Editor’s note: These figures do not include the school’s 10 portables.) Our clear impression is that the district does not have the students’ best interests at heart, and it only attempts to add a patch over a previous patch.

The situation at Rosa Parks is already difficult, affecting school performance, and the experience of kids at the most vulnerable age.

Presently, the cafeteria does not have enough space to accommodate the school’s population. There is not enough time for kids to stay in line, get the food and eat the food. To accommodate the large numbers, shifts were created based on grades. The kids that happen to be on the last shift need to eat their lunch in the classroom, as lunch time comes to an end by the time they get their food.

Bathrooms are overcrowded, as bathrooms in the main building also serve the student population in the portables.

The playground is also overcrowded. There is not enough shelter for kids to avoid rain during recess. Recess shifts were created to accommodate the increased population, however they only disturb classes in portables. Kids are sent out during recess even during solid steady rain, because there is not enough space for them inside the school (the inflexible rule being that kids cannot remain in class during recess).

Portables do not have air conditioning for summer, when they overheat. There is no running water in them and no bathrooms. Kids need to run to the main building every time they need access to bathrooms, which is disruptive. There is no pavement to the portables — some have wood railings, which are slippery during rain. Portables also take away much needed playground space.

Extracurricular activities are harder to get by due to very limited common room space for programs (portables do not provide common room).

The gym is not really a gym, as it is not separated from the main school building — it is a large lobby instead (common space). It is noisy and disturbs classes.

All the above will certainly get worse if more kids join Rosa Parks. Access to the school driveway will also increase the list of problems with the addition of school buses.

As taxpayers, we would like to see a better use of the money spent for schools. Instead of finding an optimal use of the available school space, the district wants to bring even more portables to already agglomerated schools. Portables are costly, are supposed to be temporary and they provide an unsatisfactory class environment. The district already uses them as a permanent solution, and apparently there is no end in sight to how many more portables can be installed. The Finn Hill Middle School has available space — why not use it instead of throwing good money after a bad idea (portables)? Assigning student population to Finn Hill would also avoid adding more students to Rosa Parks — hitting two birds with a stone. What is wrong with this approach? Busing kids that already use the bus for another two to three miles seems like a better compromise than having the kids spend the entire day in inadequate portables.

We understand that unfortunately the bill to fund building of additional schools was defeated recently — but at the same time, more kids in our schools means more parents have moved to the area. Many of these families earn good wages, which brings additional money to the county’s coffers. Where goes all the additional tax money? Recently, a full-spec solid concrete bridge was built across Novelty Hill to allow wildlife to cross — and miles of fencing were built along the road. Was that bridge more necessary than providing funds for a new school in the area?

The proposed changes do not appear to consider the kids best interests — at the end of the day, public schools have a certain mandate, which is to provide proper education, and that should be the main factor in making decisions. It is in kids’ best interest to have a good experience at school, and not have to go to overcrowded overstretched facilities. Rosa Parks and Evergreen are good schools as they stand — why lower the standard by pushing the limits?

Please take another look at the proposed boundary changes with kids’ best interest at heart.

Endre Amiras, Redmond