Georgia Brown campus to close for next school year

By Camille DeVaul · Wed Jan 24 2024

Elementary schools to be kindergarten through sixth grade starting in the 2024-25 academic year

PASO ROBLES — Until further notice, students will not be returning to the Georgia Brown Elementary School campus on 36th Street for the 2024-25 school year. During the Tuesday, Jan. 23, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board meeting, trustees voted 6-1, Sondra Williams dissenting, to close the campus following the current academic year and move the dual immersion program to one of the district’s middle school campuses. 

After receiving a final recommendation from the District Advisory Committee (DAC) and a long discussion, trustees made the decision that they will reconfigure all elementary schools to be kindergarten through sixth grade starting in the 2024-25 school year. Staff was directed to come back to the board in two weeks with a recommendation for which middle school campus (Daniel Lewis or Flamson) the dual immersion program will move to, and no decision will be made on the temporary campus until further and final decisions are made for the future of the Georgia Brown campus.

In May 2023, a geohazard study result revealed a potential danger lurking beneath the Georgia Brown campus. From the results of the study, it was confirmed that an “anomalous feature” exists directly under the current campus. This prompted a pause to any construction on the site due to complications with receiving approvals from the Department of the State Architect (DSA). Since then, the district has been in limbo, trying to find the best option to move forward. The DAC was constructed to help trustees develop a plan for the Georgia Brown campus, which has had recent reports listing water damages and bug infestations.

The DAC provided several recommendations to the board. Nine options were developed, but the co-chairs focused on presenting only the top four based on votes from committee members: 

Dual Immersion (DI) Program moves to Pifer

• DI Program moves to the Pifer campus this summer.
• The 400 students displaced from the Pifer campus could be accommodated at the remaining four elementary schools.
• Evaluate future need and funding availability for 36th Street and resolve CGS anomaly issues as needed.
• Build a permanent building on the field to house the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades with the possibility of having a separate multipurpose room for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades on site next to the new building.

DI stays at 36th Street Campus

• The Dual Immersion Program moves to the Temporary Campus.
• The anomaly at 36th Street is investigated.
• Pending the results of the investigation, the 36th Street campus is rebuilt for the Dual Immersion Program.

Flamson

2024/25 School Year

• Georgia Brown has been moved to the temporary campus.
• Georgia Brown grows to a K-6 on the Flamson/temporary campus.
• Flamson seventh- and eighth-graders would continue to attend Flamson.
• Incoming sixth-graders from Speck and Butler would attend Lewis or could stay on at their elementary schools for sixth grade if allowed.
• Classrooms are constructed to support the need of primary students and playgrounds on the Flamson campus.
• Plan to begin to reconfigure TK-6 model and at Lewis for a 7-8 model.

2025/26 School Year

• Georgia Brown Grows to K-7 on the Flamson campus. All remaining elementary schools would be TK-6.
• All seventh- and eighth-graders not in DI attend Lewis Middle School .

2026/27 School Year

• Georgia Brown Grows to K-8.

Lewis

2024/25 School Year

• All incoming sixth-graders remain at elementary and reconfigure to K-6 or 6th grade attend the temporary campus.
• DI Program moves to Lewis Middle School, which becomes K-6.
• All seventh- and eighth-grade students attend Flamson Middle school.
• Seventh- and eighth-grade DI students attend Flamson.
• Close and disassemble temporary campus.

2025/26 School Year

• Seventh-grade DI students to GB DI (at LMS) making it a K-7, eighth-grade DI students remain at FMS.

2026/27 School Year

• GB DI program at LMS becomes K-8.

Trustee Laurene McCoy echoed Trustee Nathan Williams and Jim Cogan’s concerns about placing the Georgia Brown students at the temporary campus for fear of them being there longer than intended. Overall, there was a feeling that trustees were not ready to make a decision on either recommendation yet.

Following the motion made by Cogan, staff will also be bringing back information with further options and potential future use for the Georgia Brown campus. In two weeks, trustees will make another decision as to which campus Georgia Brown students will be moving to for the next school year.