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December 21, 2012

Officials look to Wyndale subdivision to alleviate overcrowding in school

By MATT CHRISTIAN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — Mercer County students living in Wyndale subdivision may be attending a different school next year.

Superintendent Deborah Akers told the Mercer County Board of Education that Melrose Elementary School is overcrowded and that she and her staff are beginning to investigate moving some of the students in Wyndale subdivision to Athens School.

Akers told the board that after middle school students left Athens for the new PikeView Middle School, the building had plenty of empty space available for use. At Melrose, Akers said that due to an increased enrollment, the school’s media center was recently converted into a classroom.

“We’re looking at two different alternatives,” Akers told the board. “One is to take all of the students in the subdivision and move them to Athens. The other is to take all of the students from the subdivision in K-3 and move them to Athens.”

Akers added that the second alternative with K-3 students from Wyndale moving would probably be easier for the community to adjust to. That way, the students that had attended Melrose the longest would be able to continue attending until they advance into PikeView Middle.

Several board members, including President Greg Prudich, Vice President Gilbert “Gene” Bailey and Paul Hodges expressed concerns about the potential move. Bailey recommended after Akers presented detailed maps to them in January that they schedule a public hearing to accept public input.

The idea of relocating Wyndale students from Melrose to Athens caused concern, considering the subdivision is much closer to Melrose.

Board member Ted Gillespie called the distance “a stone’s throw.”

However, Akers told the board that Wyndale represented the largest group of students that could be easily moved out of Melrose to eliminate the overcrowding.

“[Moving the students from Wyndale] that’s the only option,” Akers told the board. “We don’t really have to change the bus route, and Athens has plenty of space.”

— Contact Matt Christian at mchristian@ptonline.net.

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