At tonight's U-46 Board of Education meeting, parents voiced concerns about overcrowding at Nature Ridge Elementary School.

Beverly Jaszczurowski pleaded to the board, "Because of the economy, I can't sell me house, I can't afford private schooling, so I have to fix the school I have."

Jaszczurowski and Dana Weiby spoke on behalf of several parents who were expecting solutions regarding crowding at Nature Ridge for the 2010/2011 school year. Nevertheless, they were recently told in an e-mail from U-46 that "the earliest that boundary changes can become effective will be at the beginning of the 2011/2012 school year."

"If we keep putting it off and off, you will eventually tell us we missed the deadline again," Weiby told the board. Parents say U-46 has been aware of this problem since 2004, and they fear the problem will not be resolved in upcoming school years.

Other topics at the meeting included the Instructional Council's curriculum development in September and October and a tentative agreement regarding long-term substitute teachers.