Future Bethany School parents responded Saturday to an invitation from Wicklund School Foundation to explore starting a parent group for the new school, which is scheduled to open in the fall.

Wicklund foundation head Andrew Martinez offered assistance to Bethany parents. He suggested that “where the budget falls short,” parents might want to organize a group to meet needs. He urged the parents to start as soon as possible.

Parents have less than five months to organize for the school’s August opening, when Keri Buckley, currently a vice principal at an Antioch elementary school, takes over as Bethany School principal.

Wicklund Principal Lem Vergara stressed that collaboration between parent groups will be important as new schools are opened, noting that each school will have different requirements but that all will need money and volunteer support.

“In the beginning, they will need to fill facility needs and then move to educational needs,” Martinez said.

The group discussed having one foundation that would raise money for all Mountain House schools, leaving individual school requisites to each school’s parent organization.

WSF plans to send surveys to all parents this spring, seeking their consideration as to what structure future parent organizations in the Mountain House area might take.