Update: School board votes to close Georgia Brown Elementary School
Update posted Jan. 25:
– The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District released the following statement regarding the Georgia Brown Elementary closure:
Last September, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees formed a District Advisory Committee, as recommended by the state Department of Education, to explore options for the relocation of the district’s dual immersion program currently housed at Georgia Brown Elementary School at 36th St. That site was to have been under major reconstruction, but the discovery of a “seismic anomaly” under it made that option unworkable.
The committee was tasked with finding a permanent location for the program at another site. Earlier this week, the committee presented its preferred options, including relocation to one of the two district middle schools and not another elementary site.
The board voted to no longer consider any new construction nor remodeling at the current Georgia Brown site on 36th St. It also directed the administration to prepare the pros and cons of relocation next year to relocate the program to either Lewis Middle School or Flamson Middle School, both of which currently serve grades 6-8.
Next year, one of the middle schools hence will be the permanent home of DI, and the other will be converted to a Grades 7/8 Junior High. To accomplish this, all remaining elementary schools will house grades TK through 6 next year.
Original story posted Jan. 24, 7:56 a.m.:
– In a 6-1 vote last night, the Paso Robles School Board decided to close Georgia Brown Elementary School, with Trustee Sondra Williams providing the sole dissenting vote.
The decision stemmed from the discovery of a potential dangerous “seismic anomaly” beneath the site of the district’s dual immersion program. Georgia Brown Elementary, known for its focus on students achieving fluency in both English and Spanish by fifth grade, faced additional challenges, including reports of rotting beams and various safety issues at the 36th Street campus.
The board decided to relocate the dual immersion program to either George Flamson Middle School or Daniel Lewis Middle School, extending it to include kindergarten through 8th grade. The plan also involves redistributing 6th grade to the remaining elementary schools, discontinuing further expenditure on the temporary campus, and transferring 7th and 8th grade to the remaining middle school, according to reports.
Watch the full meeting on YouTube below:
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