School board discusses potential plan to close Georgia Brown Elementary
–Tuesday night, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees were confronted by opponents of a plan to close Georgia Brown Elementary School. During the virtual meeting, the board received a report from William Krum, Chair of the 7-11 Measure M Oversight Committee. The committee was charged with the task of watching the expenditure of money generated by Measure M. Kram said that the committee voted 8-3 to endorse the closure of Georgia Brown Elementary School, which is home to the PRJUSD Dual Immersion Program.
Shannon Gonzales, Elena Garcia, and several other citizens encouraged the board to reject the 7-11 committee’s report. They cited the proximity of the school to the Hispanic community living at the north end of Paso Robles. They said the committee did not represent the ethnic make-up of students in the Paso Robles School District, which is over 50-percent Hispanic. Only one Hispanic served on the committee, and several callers to the school board objected to his political beliefs. Elena Garcia called the report, “illegitimate” because of the lack of diversity on the committee.
One citizen said the financial mismanagement by a previous superintendent and his school board created the present crisis. He said, “They’re the ones who stole money from the kids and now we’re wondering how bad things are going to be for our kids because of it.”
Trustee Chris Bausch said that the make-up of the committee was legally defensible. Members of the community were encouraged to join the oversight committee, but the board did not specifically solicit members from the Georgia Brown neighborhood because the closure of that school was not a foregone conclusion.
Krum told the board that Measure M generated $94 million for capital improvements in the PRJUSD, but he said the revised plan calls for spending $108.5 million. He cited two reasons for the closure of Georgia Brown – the $14 million shortfall and projected declining enrollment. Krum said after studying the options, the 7-11 Measure M Oversight Committee determined the best school to close was Georgia Brown because of the expense it would take to renovate the school. He estimated the cost of renovating Georgia Brown could reach $25 million dollars.
Ultimately, the board voted to receive the report, although trustee Lance Gannon voted against the acceptance. It does not mean the board endorses the plan to close Georgia Brown School.
Chief Business Officer Brad Pawlowski suggested the board form two more committees. A boundary committee would address the closure of an elementary school, and how boundaries would change in the district, It would also look at transportation challenges.
He also recommended the board create a grade span/curriculum committee to discuss developing a dual immersion school in the district at one campus for T-kindergarten-8th grades. Currently, the dual immersion program at Georgia Brown runs through 6th grade.
Receiving the committee’s report Tuesday night does not preclude further discussion on the proposed closure. School Board President Chris Arend said the board needs to look at all the issues, not just real estate values, in determining which elementary school should be closed, if any. The school board will revisit the issue before closing any school in the district.
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