After two failed referendums, IRSD officials continue looking for ways to address overcrowding

GEORGETOWN, Del. – “I want them to tell me since the referendum failed, what are they going to do next,” said Rose Watkins.

Its a question that’s on the minds of many parents, teachers, and school officials within the Indian River School District as they attempt to once again address overcrowding issues within the school system.

“Anybody who could come up with some good solutions please give us something, because we can’t just lay there and do nothing that’s what we can’t do,” said Superintendent Mark Steele.

At a public workshop Monday, school officials presented a total of 6 possible options to help deal with the growing number of students their seeing within their schools. A number that could go up by another thousand by the next school year.

“We’re taking a look at possibly turning the one school into a magnet stem school, that will probably not have a lot of impact. We’re also taking a look at the STSA school we have now and maybe looking at a K-12 placement,” said Steele.

Residents also voiced their ideas, adding that the school district should being more transparent with the community.

“You have to talk to them in the language they understand, you have to know your audience. You have to tailor your dialogue and your approach to reach them,” said Watkins.

And if the district decides to go for another referendum, residents say they need to go about it with a different strategy.

“We have exceptional students in this district and I think that if we sell the successes of the students then the voters would come out and give us the money and what we need to expand and deal with the overcrowding,” Watkins said.

Officials add that nothing is set in stone just yet, and they’re still welcoming ideas from the community to ensure the school district remains a positive place for its students.