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Bel Aire supports USD 259
By Josh Heck
Last Updated: September 20, 2007

A final decision could still be a ways off and out of their hands, but city leaders in Bel Aire have taken a big step toward having the whole city served by one school district.

After more than a month of discussions, debates and presentations from both sides regarding a proposal to include all of Bel Aire in the Wichita school district (USD 259), the council was ready to make its decision during the Sept. 18 city council meeting. But residents were given one last chance to offer their opinions. In the packed council chambers, about 10 residents did just that.

Like previous meetings and a resident-organized town hall the night before, some spoke in favor of changing the school district boundaries to place all of the corporate limits of Bel Aire in one district, while others were opposed. Some called for the council to delay the vote again so the proposal could be examined more. The matter was tabled during the Sept. 4 council meeting.

Ultimately, though, the council voted 4-1, with Gary Breault opposed, to adopt a resolution supporting the boundary change.

Now, it is up to the USD 259 school board to petition the Circle school board to transfer the land in its district that is within the city limits of Bel Aire to Wichita public schools. Currently, no residents live in the eastern portion of Bel Aire that lies inside the Circle boundary.

But Circle officials have said they would not support a boundary change.

In that case, a mediator will attempt to bring both sides together, and if that still doesn’t resolve the conflict, the matter will be taken to the state board of education.

USD 259 board member Lynn Rogers told The News that the school board would take up the boundary change during its next meeting. He said he doesn’t foresee Circle board members acting quickly, or at all, on transferring the land. If the matter does go before the state board of education, however, Rogers said it could make a ruling within three months, not the drawn-out process that some had feared.

Council members who voted in favor of the resolution — Peggy O’Donnell, Carolyn Marlier, Teresa Reynolds and Dave Sly — said their “yes” vote was because they felt having Bel Aire in one district would be good for the city overall. All members said they weighed input from those who spoke at the various meetings and from those who had called or e-mailed but didn’t speak in public.

The Wichita school district has proposed building an elementary school and a high school in Bel Aire, while Circle has passed a bond issue to build a roughly 350-student elementary school near Beal Aire, along Greenwich Road, between 37th and 45th streets.

If the boundary is changed, parents will still have the option to send their kids to other schools. Often, the amount of available space at a particular school is a determining factor for allowing out-of-district students.

Some residents indicated they planned to circulate a petition calling for the vote to be overturned.





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