MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake School Board members will hold a public meeting to talk about any subject that interests district patrons from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Moses Lake Senior Center, 608 East Third Avenue.

The board established the custom of periodic public meetings covering on any subject district patrons want to talk about, district superintendent Michelle Price said, but the meetings last year focused on overcrowding at the middle school and high school levels.

The Oct. 28 meeting will be the first in a series throughout the school year, vice-chair Connie Opheikens said.

In other business at the board's last meeting, Price announced the middle school that will replace Columbia Basin Secondary School may have a focus on science and technology.

Price said that is one of the options under study by the committee tasked with establishing a new schedule. Currently the secondary school houses both middle school and high school. The board voted in September to send the high school students to Moses Lake High School or other programs and convert CBSS to a third middle school, starting with the 2014-15 school year.

Price said committee members will attend a presentation on schools that focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes, and how that model works.

District officials have set up a committee to work with the high school students attending CBSS, and help them graduate as CBSS students. That affects about 60 kids, Dave Balcom said, who's working with CBSS officials on the transitions.

The committee assigned to write an amended high school schedule is meeting weekly, Price said. The amended schedule is part of the district's effort to deal with overcrowding.

Mark Johnson, the district's executive director for business and operation, reported that the conclusions from a demographic, income and facilities study currently underway will be available Jan. 15.

The study is part of the long term plan to determine how to accommodate student growth.