That remains the consensus from Wright City R-II School District officials and the majority of parents following a final community meeting held Monday night at the existing elementary school. The option to open the new school being built off Cotton Road near Foristell as a kindergarten and first-grade center is expected to be approved by the school board at its next meeting on Nov. 20. "Vote-wise we're still ahead in the K-one option and that will still continue to be my recommendation to the board next week," Superintendent Chris Gaines said. Of the nearly 20 parents who attended Monday night's meeting, nine parents in attendance voted to open the school as a K-one grade center. The district is hopeful the grade center will be expanded to its initial plan of becoming a neighborhood elementary school when the housing market picks up. In nearly every meeting, attendees favored the K-one option that alleviates overcrowding at the existing elementary school and does not require an attendance boundary to be drawn to determine what kids will be bused to the new school. Gaines and other school officials are trying to determine whether to open the building as planned - as a facility that houses kindergarten through fifth grade - or shifting two grade levels there for now until the enrollment picks up on the east side of the district. When voters approved a bond issue to build the school in 2006, the district's growing enrollment led to overcrowding at the existing elementary school and prompted moving fifth graders to the middle school. The board made a decision to build a new school on the east side of the district after a developer was willing to donate some land near a soon-to-be built subdivision off Cotton Road near Foristell. However, school enrollment slowed considerably and the subdivision remains undeveloped and has no infrastructure such as water and sewer. The school was supposed to open this month, but now won't be completed until the spring. Gaines said opening the building as planned or less than capacity requires attendance boundaries to be drawn, results in significant class-size variances and doesn't make the most efficient use of planned space. He also noted the K-first-grade option is the most cost-effective plan for the district. "There is a desire to honor a K through five school in the long run," Gaines acknowledged. Chris Garofalo, a parent of five with the oldest being in kindergarten, opposes the grade center option and favors opening the building as planned. He's concerned about getting his kids to the new school located farther away from his home than the existing elementary school. He said he has lost trust in the school board after patrons voted for the bond issue in 2006 to fund the facility. "I don't think they have a good representation of the taxpayer base here," Garofalo said. "You get people who are immediately affected and people vote by what is immediately affecting them. I voted for a K-five elementary and that is what I want. Regardless of what happens, that is what I voted for and that is what I want." While wishing there had been higher turnouts on Monday and at other previous meetings, Gaines acknowledged the district used all the resources available to gain feedback from the public. Three community forums were held which drew about 70 parents, many of them repeat visitors. Gaines also met twice with district employees and a group from neighborhood churches. "To me if the decision was made without these meetings, I could see a loss of trust being very reasonable," Gaines said. "But given the number of meetings we've had and the way we publicized them, I think we've been pretty open and transparent that our realities have changed and we need to deal with that reality." Tabetha LaMora, parent of a first- and third-grader, has attended three meetings hosted by the district and has seen her concerns put to rest. She objected to the possibility of opening the new school with fourth- and fifth-graders due to the shortage of eMINTs rooms - or computer availability. LaMora, however, believes the district is looking out for the best interest of the students. "I have confidence that they're going to make the right decision," she said. "I really do. They are listening to what we have to say." 8