School Reconfiguration Delayed Till ’94

The Board of Education on Tuesday voted 4-0 to reconfigure Arcadia schools in September, 1994, citing financial constraints and a need for district students to remain academically competitive.

The reconfiguration will designate elementary schools for kindergarten through fifth grade, middle schools for sixth through eighth grade, and Arcadia High School for ninth through 12th grade.

Currently, sixth graders attend elementary schools and ninth graders junior high schools.

Board President James A. Bryant said the board decided not to make the change in 1993 to allow more teacher involvement in decisions and preparations at the high school, half of whose 3,000 students will be new in 1994.

He said board member Maryann Gibson, absent due to illness, also endorsed the 1994 reconfiguration.

Asked for a recommendation, Supt. Terrence M. Towner supported the 1994 date but warned that delaying reconfiguration to 1994 would make next year tough financially, with cuts necessary at the junior high schools.

Although parents assailed the plan and lack of consultation at a public hearing Dec. 8, leaders of the PTA voiced support for the reconfiguration before Tuesday’s vote, saying they had informed the community.

However, Mark Bower, a parent, warned that those who felt left out of the process may no longer support a school bond issue. A $27.5-million bond issue vote failed by less than 1% in September and will be attempted again in April.