'Keeping Kids Together' Is a Concern of All Parents

Dear Editor,
    I am writing to comment on the article “Proposed Southwest School Boundaries Spark Concerns” [News, Nov. 14]. I am a big fan of The Austin Chronicle and value your informative articles.
    However, I would like to add information to the story, as it appears that only Mills Elementary representatives were interviewed for the story. There are several other schools/kids that will be very affected by this boundary matter, and we would appreciate a more balanced view of this important issue.
    Like many Mills families, our family lives in a section of Circle C. We have fifth- and second-grade sons that attend Kiker Elementary and are directly affected by the boundary discussions. One of the proposals on the table, being heavily lobbied by the Mills representatives, would split Kiker families – some classmates would attend the new middle school, and others would attend Bailey Middle School. Just like Mills, we don’t understand why classmates would need to be split between schools, but one of our main goals is safety for our children. If all of Kiker attended the new school, many of our kids could cycle to the new school and avoid MoPac altogether.
    Although “keeping kids together” is very important for all families involved, the same issue affects both schools. The task force has stated that although they would like to keep families together if possible, the primary criteria in their decision is safety, distance, and school capacities.
    If Kiker families were split at Escarpment as Mills has recommended, Kiker students would need to travel approximately six miles to Bailey Middle School through some of the most deadly intersections in all of Austin – several fatalities have occurred at MoPac and LaCrosse alone. Yet the same families would only need to travel as little as two miles to the new middle school, through mostly neighborhood streets – a much safer alternative.
    On the contrary, Mills families only need to travel about three miles to Clint Small Middle School. Furthermore, Clint Small would be severely under capacity if it lost Mills students. One argument is that even more of the Mills families should attend Clint Small Middle School to put Clint Small at ideal capacity.
    Thank you for listening and giving me the chance to bring additional information to your story.