Look at school shows something needs to be done

Students in hallways, closets, trailers, etc., all trying to learn; this is not the way it should be and not the way any parent should support as the definition of a quality education.
But that’s the scene painted on today’s front page with regard to the overcrowding situation at Carroll Oakland Elementary School. Much is the same scene at Southside and Tuckers Crossroads elementary schools as each is experiencing too many students occupying too little space. Carroll Oakland may be the most dire.
We are encouraged to know, however, the Wilson County Board of Education is taking a reactive approach to solve this problem. The board plans to meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the old Lebanon High School auditorium.
The former high school is one of three proposals on the drawing board to house sixth- through eighth-graders currently at the three elementary schools in the creation of a new Lebanon Middle School. It may also be the least popular among parents and the community at large.
Another, more costly, plan includes additions at each of the three elementary schools, thus keeping a kindergarten through eighth-grade format in tact. That plan is seemingly the most popular among the public at large.
The most expensive plan, with a price tag hovering around $30 million, includes building a new Lebanon Middle School near the new Lebanon High School on South Hartmann Drive.
As seen in today’s Lebanon Democrat, there’s little time to waste.
We are encouraged to see the board examining each approach carefully and including parents and community members in the conversation. Anyone with a vested interest in the education of our children should be at Tuesday’s meeting. As we said, there is little time to waste.
The board is expected to render a decision on this important issue in January. We are hopeful that included in their reaction to overcrowding, a proactive approach is taken for the future. After all, the county’s population likely won’t get smaller anytime soon.