Alhambra Schools Urged to Remap

The Alhambra school board, which has decided to expand its three high schools rather than build a new school to alleviate overcrowding, was told this week to begin redrawing school boundaries as a first step in undertaking the expansion.

Representatives of HMC Architects Inc. of Ontario told the board and an audience of 75 residents and parents Tuesday night that major expansion is more feasible at San Gabriel High School, which has the largest campus, than at Mark Keppel or Alhambra, although all three high schools will be renovated.

Alhambra High School, with 22 acres, is the smallest campus but has the most students, 3,500. Mark Keppel, with 30 acres, has 2,700 students, and San Gabriel, with 54 acres, has 3,500.

Under a redistribution plan recommended by HMC, San Gabriel High would serve 3,800 students, Mark Keppel 3,000 and Alhambra 2,900.

The firm recommended that the district add two multistory buildings at San Gabriel High School, but otherwise delayed outlining specific plans until the board has adopted a redistribution scheme.

The firm also declined to make a recommendation on the fate of up to 12 homes near San Gabriel High School that could be demolished under expansion plans. The homes are next to the student parking lot, and their removal would reduce traffic on Ramona Boulevard.

The state has tentatively allotted $39 million for the expansion project, but the district could get more under a new law that allows a district to collect more state funding if it builds multistory school facilities rather than condemning residential property. The new law was signed by Gov. George Deukmejian on Monday, and district officials do not know how much more money the district will get.

The three high schools, which serve students in Alhambra, San Gabriel, part of Monterey Park and southern Rosemead, were designed for 6,500 students. Enrollment now totals more than 9,600 and is expected to reach 10,000 by 1991.

The district dropped its original plan to build a new high school in Rosemead after residents there protested the proposed demolition of more than 100 homes.