Dr. Kimball and the Lake Washington School District Board have developed a temporary plan to address the student population changes, though even they would admit it is only temporary (“Lake Washington School District parents “expect voice” over school feeder changes,” May 26 issue). While the parents seem to support the majority of this plan, it still has significant pitfalls that could have been avoided if Dr. Kimball had initially reached out to the parent community rather than notify us of a final decision through a mailer in student backpacks. For example, the district representatives appear to have not considered the environmental, wellness or safety concerns of our students in their decision to force A.G. Bell Elementary students to attend, what will be, Finn Hill Middle School. An extremely safe 17 minute walk from A.G. Bell to Kirkland Middle School becomes a hazardous walk of over an hour over roads without sidewalks and along extremely busy streets. This is a significant safety issue that was entirely ignored and has parents very concerned. The most glaring omission is that switching A.G. Bell Elementary students from Kirkland Middle School to Finn Hill is not a necessary change to address population changes. Yes, my daughter and son need to attend Juanita High School for the good of the district and we support that decision; however, requiring my kids to spend an hour every day commuting in our car when they could have walked to Kirkland Middle School for class is difficult for me and my kids to comprehend. Even more bewildering is that this decision does nothing to address the needs of the district. Despite how this process evolved, I am extremely hopeful that a compromise can be reached allowing the concerns of the parents to be addressed while meeting the needs of the Lake Washington School District.

Johnmichael Monteith, Kirkland