Overcrowding decisions still work in progress

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake School Board voted 5-0 to convert Columbia Basin Secondary School to a neighborhood middle school Aug. 8, and to scrap the four-period day at Moses Lake High School for an altered schedule.

High school students at CBSS will be moved out, beginning with the 2014-15 school year. Board members decided on the middle school conversion but the neighborhood it will serve has not been determined, district superintendent Michelle Price said.

A committee was appointed to handle the transition from CBSS, and made a report Dec. 5. They recommended a separate program for CBSS students.

School officials surveyed CBSS students, and 88 of them said they wanted a program separate from MLHS, Dave Balcom, transition committee chair, said.

Balcom said kids may change their minds over time, but as of now the committee is recommending a separate schedule and separate class space. The CBSS students would have the same graduation requirements as they had when they entered school, Balcom said, and would have to earn 21.5 credits.

Graduates would earn a Moses Lake School District diploma, not one from CBSS, Balcom said. But they would have a separate graduation ceremony, he said. 

The vote came after almost a year of community meetings and discussion. The committee formed to write a new high school schedule gave its first report at a Dec. 5 study session

The tentative proposal started with seven 50-minute classes, with students attending class on a sliding schedule starting at different times of the morning. Principal Josh Meek said the team looked at a lot of possibilities, but the seven period day looked like the best option.

Another workshop on the high school schedule is scheduled for early January. It will include modifications based on questions and comments from the school board.