The Grand Forks School District is going to be on the hot seat for the next few months. As residents debate realigning district boundaries and possibly shutting a school down, letters are going to fly, and passions are going to flare.
That's always the case when people fear the loss of their neighborhood school.
But here's something worth remembering from the outset: Grand Forks is lucky to be having this debate. After all, in the lineup of possible school-district problems, overcapacity is not a bad problem to have.
That's because overcapacity is a problem that can be solved. It's not intractable, in other words. The district will have its debate, a decision will be made (or quite possibly, deferred) -- and to some extent, that will be that.
The district's fundamentals aren't in question, in other words. Just the opposite: Judging by indicators such as parents' feedback and the absence of critical letters to the editor, the district's fundamentals remain sound.
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In May, the Grand Forks School District was named one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America, at least the sixth or seventh time the district has won that honor. The theater expansions at Central and Red River high schools -- multimillion dollar projects that are being built without the need for a tax increase -- will help make already-great theater and other arts programs at both schools truly exceptional.
College-bound students graduate ready for that next level; Red River and Central seniors who compete for Ivy League, service academy and other selective college seats get admitted at good rates.
And in an exciting development, the district also is strengthening its program for vocational-education students. Despite America's high unemployment rate, companies can't find enough welders, machinists and practitioners of other skilled trades, national news stories have pointed out.
A proposed Grand Forks Area Career and Technology Center should help counter that.
While Grand Forks already offers a decent lineup of career and technical classes, students in smaller districts have fewer options. So, the new area center will combine the resources of the Grand Forks, Hatton, Hillsboro, Central Valley, Larimore, MayPort-CG, Northwood and Thompson districts to make a strengthened curriculum available to all.
If the idea gets approved, the area center will use online and other means to teach classes in aviation technology, automotive technology, information technology, agriculture, drafting and medical careers.
Those fields were chosen as a result of both student and employer interest; Job Service North Dakota and the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. are partners in this effort. And the Legislature already has approved $425,000 for the center's creation, so this looks like a realistic educational dream that's about to come true.
So: When the debate about district boundaries heats up, school-board officials shouldn't take it personally. Grand Forks residents are proud of their schools and want the best for local children. That's where the concerns are coming from. That's why feelings are so intense.
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And that's why officials should take time to render the best decision for all.
