School Boundary Plan Stirs Controversy

A controversial plan to redraw middle-school boundaries and put one school on a year-round schedule to solve overcrowding drew more than 175 angry parents to this week’s Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District board meeting.

The plan would reroute Glenview Elementary School graduates to Yorba Linda Middle School instead of Bernardo Yorba Middle School, move Glenview’s sixth grade to Yorba Linda Middle, move Rio Vista Elementary School’s sixth grade to Kraemer Middle School and put Rio Vista on a year-round schedule, starting with the 1998-99 school year.

It also reroutes Topaz Elementary School graduates to Tuffree Middle School rather than Kraemer Middle School.

After several failed motions, the board unanimously voted to acknowledge that the item was discussed but did not take action on a plan.

Trustees are expected to receive another report on the plan at their Feb. 25 meeting.

Several trustees said they support building a new school as a permanent solution to overcrowding but need to have a temporary solution in place by September.

“Although it is a plan that is a Band-Aid in a lot of ways, we have to do something,” Trustee Cathy Ann Brooks said.

Parents with children at Glenview and Rio Vista elementary schools, which are both in Anaheim, said the plan gives preference to east Yorba Linda residents and buses local students out of their neighborhoods.

“We bought our homes 15 years ago so our kids could walk to all three schools, not be bused,” said Glenview parent Mary Tobin.

She said the district needs to do long-range planning to accommodate east Yorba Linda’s growth rather than temporarily bus students, which disrupts established neighborhoods.