Redraw Creekside district?

School officials say they might; parents deplore disruption

DURHAM -- School officials announced Thursday they may redraw the Creekside Elementary School district for next year because of overcrowding.

A half-dozen parents and PTA members from the southern Durham school appeared at a school board meeting late Thursday, voicing concerns about the disruption redistricting could inflict on their children.

"What our children need most is stability," said PTA President Jennifer Bartnik, whose son is a third-grader at the school. She appeared to choke with emotion as she addressed the school board. "There has to be a solution other than reassigning us to another overcrowded school," she said later.

Creekside opened in 2004 to alleviate crowding at three other southern Durham schools -- Parkwood, Forest View and Southwest elementary schools, all in an area of the county where development is booming. But soon after Creekside opened, classrooms were being farmed out to trailers behind the school. And each of the schools that Creekside was supposed to help is overcrowded again.

This year, Creekside grew by 172 students, putting the school at 137 percent its capacity, according to figures in school documents.

The new school has had a rocky start. Permit and construction delays forced the school to open six months late in the 2004-05 school year. The students have had three principals in the past four years. And with the student body boom, Creekside families are stretched for space inside the school and out, on the playground, in morning traffic.

Bartnik and other PTA members asked the board to move more quickly to expand the school, instead of redrawing the district they fought to be included in. But board member Steve Schewel tried to brace the parents for what could be inevitable.

"There is no way there's not going to be some difficulties with this," Schewel said. "There's going to be some kind of change and it's going to be hard. Above all, we'll try to be fair."

School officials will present the school board with proposals to solve the overcrowding at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. A public hearing will be held at Creekside at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7.

The board could vote on a potential solution as soon as next month, said Bill Bartholomay, director of student assignment.