There is nothing more difficult for a family than seeing changes in their school or their neighborhood. It brings out the protective instincts in people, sometimes it bring out the best, other times less than the best in our collective characters.

Our area is being tested with major changes in two schools.

One is Pathfinder, whose parents are working hard to get the Seattle School District not to move their specialialized program to Louisa Boren School, a former middle school on Delridge way that has been used as a temporary home for other schools being remodeled.

Now comes the Highline School District who wants to rent a closed school to the New Start program. New Start is for dropouts and is located in a former day-care facility, a nondescript building next to the White Center Library. (See story, Page One.)

Pathfinder parents fear a much larger building will blur their focus on their innovative program based around Native American culture.

A more visceral reaction is going on in White Center. New Start is a King County program for students ages 14 to 21 who have fallen behind in acquiring enough academic credits to graduate. Most of the students at New Start are from Evergreen High School. Some have had run-ins with the law.

That worries the people who live around the closed Salmon Creek, a quiet neighborhood who are used to an elementary school. Naturally, the idea of older, more street-wise students in the area later into the day worries people.

Some believe the moved was planned in secret by New Start and the Highline District, a suggestion immediately denied by a district spokeswoman.

So why not all sit down and work out the concerns? The move can wait a bit longer and the district and the New Start leaders can no doubt come up with ways to ameliorate problems. Perhaps a full-time security person would calm some fears. What matters is an excellent program that should continue for students who want to better their lives.

We all know change is hard for all humans, but it often amazes people how worries disappear with some quiet discussion.