Year-Round School Plan Dropped in Inglewood : Education: Creating middle schools and putting the district on a 12-month schedule drew strong public opposition. Officials unsure what to do about student crowding in central city.

A controversial plan to create middle schools in Inglewood and put the entire district on a year-round schedule has been indefinitely shelved because of strong public opposition.

The action Wednesday night leaves the Inglewood Unified School District without a plan for alleviating crowded conditions in its central city schools, which serve some of the community’s poorest children.

Facing vigorous opposition from parents with children in some of the less-crowded schools, the school board declined to adopt the latest in a series of proposals for middle and year-round schools to help alleviate the crowding. Under the proposal, Crozier and Monroe junior high schools would have been converted into middle schools to serve some of the district’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

“We don’t want this change,” said resident Debbie Stevens, echoing the views of many parents. “We don’t feel it’s necessary. We’ve come out in masses . . . the chain of command starts with the voters. We don’t want this in 1993. We don’t want this in 1994. We don’t want this period.”

Board President Joseph Rouzan said he doubts the issue will arise again any time soon.

“I think we’re dead in the water,” he said, noting that each time the board has tried to form a new plan, “we’ve had 70% to 80% opposition from the community.”

The controversy began in January when the administration asked the board to approve a districtwide middle school plan that called for four middle schools that would educate all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

The administration also wanted to finish putting the entire district on a year-round schedule. So far, only a handful of the district’s 15 elementary and junior high schools, which serve only the seventh and eighth grades, are on the 12-month schedule.

Parents and teachers immediately began objecting to both middle and year-round schools. In an effort to appease them, the board twice changed the proposal, eliminating one school one week, substituting another the following week.

But each time the plan was changed, other parents would show up at a board meeting to oppose it, concerned over what impact the changes would have on their children’s education. At the same time, the Inglewood Teachers Assn. joined forces with the parents in trying to block the year-round schedule, saying the district had not given parents sufficient notice.

The board action this week means school Supt. George McKenna and his staff must look for other ways to alleviate severe crowding in central city schools.

“We have to find some place to put our students,” said Maurice Wiley, spokesman for the district. “It means students will have to travel a greater distance to get to class. . . . Their parents will have to take them.”

Wiley noted that the district does not provide bus service, so it will be up to the parents to take their children to less-crowded schools in other parts of the city. Still, in view of the strong opposition from parents, Wiley said the board agreed that the community is simply not ready for middle or year-round schools.

Rouzan and member Loystene Irvin voted with the administration to have the middle and year-round schools, but were opposed by Thomasina Reed and Lois Hill Hale, who voted to scrap the plans indefinitely. The fifth board member, Larry Aubry, has been ailing and did not attend the meeting. He could not be reached for comment.

Rouzan asked the parents to return to their neighborhoods and try to come up with ideas that might alleviate the crowding.

“We have to do something if we’re going to be able to compete. We’ve got to be progressive. We just can’t sit on this,” Rouzan said.

Correspondent Julia Wilson contributed to this story.