Parents Voice Concerns On Proposed Boundary Changes - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Last week parents with kids in the Bismarck Public Schools received an email mapping out new boundaries for the district.

Tonight, families who might have their children going to different schools next year, get the opportunity to voice their concerns.

<<"There's a lot of people here, so there's a lot of folks to have to go through," Dale Pittman said.

Hundreds of parents pack into Wachter Middle School, to voice their concerns on the proposed boundary changes.

"Of course we want our child to stay in the same school that she's in and not have to switch so yes we're concerned in that regard," Pittman said.

"Currently we go to Pioneer Elementary, and they would be moving us to Saxvik, and my main concern with that is we're currently only five blocks from Pioneer and Saxvik would now be 18 blocks." Michelle Mielke said.

Making her kids trip to school, three times the distance.

"It just doesn't make sense to me," Mielke said.

Because her kids would no longer be able to walk to school.

"You want it to still be walk able for your kids, that's why we moved close to a school and now it would be no longer walk able I mean they would have to get transportation," Mielke said.

For other parents, like Kerri Kraft, she's upset that her kids would still be going to the same school, because right now they spend nearly two hours on the bus every morning, just to get to school.

"Currently I'm only six miles from one school, but they would be bussed considerably south, which would mean they'd have to be picked up a lot earlier, the bus comes out at 6:45 and school starts at 8:30," Kerri Kraft said.

Which is why all these parents are taking the time to share their frustrations.

"I think they take a lot of the work, the board members take a lot of this into consideration because I'm sure they were there at one time too," Kraft said.

"Meetings like this are critical, because in the end we want to create world class schools and it takes a combined community effort to get those," Superintendent Tamara Uselman said.

A community effort these parents take seriously.>>

If you weren't able to attend tonight's public forum, another one will be held on Thursday January 24th at Horizon Middle School, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.