SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ISSUE IS SETTLED

The recent boundary dispute in the Cape Girardeau School District has been finally resolved. The Board of Education approved new elementary school boundaries after weeks of debate.

Not everyone is happy, but the board did its best to achieve a compromise among parents.

Many parents were upset about the prospect of moving their children to another school. Parents of students at May Greene and Washington schools had no choice. Those school buildings will close at the end of this school year. And no one thought that merging six schools into five would be simple.

Much of the concern was due to the success of neighborhood schools in Cape Girardeau. Parents involved in each of the schools sing the praises of staff and programs.

It is a shame that some of the debate centered around racial matters. That was due in part to government meddling and quotas that do more to divide people than pull them together. Historically, Cape Girardeau is not a divisive community. The community and schools are first-rate because of all the races and nationalities work together for betterment.

Let us not forget that the give and take of the boundary debate represented democracy at work. Taxpayers and parents elect a school board to do a job, and typically the board operates with little intervention. But democracy also allows for public debate and direction. That input is vital to good schools and government.

It is time to put all the hard feelings of the school boundary debate behind the community. It it time to heal the wounds and come together in support of the children, teachers, staff and new administration. It is time to move on.