Warren City Council has approved a letter to the Warren County School District in opposition to a proposal that would see students taken from within the city limits and transported to outlying schools.

The proposal before the school board as part of ongoing reconfiguration discussions calls for adjusting the attendance area boundaries – “taking some of the 9-12 population from Warren and redistributing students to the other three attendance areas.”

Council’s letter includes 17 specific points in support of an argument to “oppose any efforts regarding the proposed realignment of the Central Attendance Area….”

“We feel it is appropriate for us as the one body that represents all of the citizens of the City of Warren” to raise concerns, Mayor David Wortman said.

The letter asserts that the proposal would “dilute” course selection options, impact extracurricular and academic opportunities and scholarship options and raises concern about student access to libraries and labs as well as transportation issues.

“Tonight, we as a council have an opportunity to stand up for the right thing and advocate that education be put first for our citizen’s children,” Councilman John Wortman, also a school board candidate in the upcoming election, said.

The letter calls for a meeting with school district officials.

“While we agree that the current configuration of the Warren County School District needs to be addressed,” the letter states, “we believe that the proposed realignment of the Central Attendance Area is not the best option.”

See Wednesday’s Times Observer for a full story on council’s action.