Plan to Take 29 Homes for More School Space Halted

Los Angeles school officials have shelved--at least temporarily--plans to acquire and remove 29 homes in Arlington Heights to make way for expansion of the Mt. Vernon Junior High School campus.

The proposal to take the homes caused an uproar in the close-knit inner-city neighborhood of stately turn-of-the century homes. Residents banded together to try to persuade the Los Angeles Unified School District to look elsewhere in its quest for more school space.

But news of the district’s change in plans brought little sense of celebration among those who are fighting to keep their homes.

“Nobody in the group who has heard of this is terribly impressed,” homeowner Kirk Honeycutt said Friday, adding: “We think this is a ruse, a tactic to lull us into a false sense of security, and we’re not going to be lulled.”

Indeed, in announcing the decision to halt the Arlington Heights acquisition, district officials cited slower-than-expected growth in Mt. Vernon’s student population and made no mention of the neighborhood protest.

District spokesman Byron Kimball noted that the number of pupils in the overall district rose this year by only 2,000, instead of the projected 14,000. Instead of proceeding with the expansion at Mt. Vernon, the school district has commissioned a comprehensive study of projected growth in the area served by Los Angeles High School to determine how best to meet future classroom needs, Kimball said.

Honeycutt said the homeowners will continue to press for state legislation to make it more difficult for school districts in crowded urban areas to take residential property. They are also seeking city historical landmark status for their homes, many of which are either California bungalows or large, craftsman-style homes. The landmark status would offer some protection against condemnation.

The proposed $3.6-million expansion at Mt. Vernon would have added eight classrooms to the campus, which already operates year-round to alleviate overcrowding.