Polson school board to hold meeting today

The Daily Inter Lake

The Polson school board is holding a special board meeting at 6 p.m. today to discuss reconfiguring the elementary district.

During the meeting in the Linderman gym, district officials will explain the current realignment plans, which call for changes at both of Polson's elementary schools.

The board will allow time for public comment.

Under the reorganization plan, preschool, kindergarten and first-grade students will attend Cherry Valley Elementary; second- through fourth-graders will go to Linderman. Both schools have housed kindergarten through fourth-grade students for the last several years.

Board members have said the reconfiguration is necessary to maintain small class sizes when the district initiates all-day kindergarten this fall.

Thursday's meeting is a response to public outcry against the planned reconfiguration. Several parents and community members are upset with the decision, claiming trustees approved the realignment without allowing ample time for public input.

Parents first heard the board was considering the transition May 25; trustees unanimously approved the transition at a special meeting May 29.

Board members say they were rushed into a decision because the state Legislature approved the district's budget late this year.

Fifteen parents filed a lawsuit against the board shortly after the vote. The two groups failed to reach a settlement late last month after several days of negotiations; a judge will hear the case later this year.