Seventh- and eighth-graders will go to the Flamson Middle School starting next fall
PASO ROBLES — Trustees made the decision to move the Georgia Brown Elementary School Dual Immersion (DI) Program to the Daniel Lewis Middle School (LMS) at the Tuesday, Feb. 13, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) meeting.
During the Jan. 23 meeting, trustees voted to close the Georgia Brown Elementary School campus on 36th Street for the 2024-25 school year and move the dual immersion program to one of the district’s middle school campuses. This Tuesday, trustees voted 5-2 — Trustees Joel Peterson and Kenney Enney dissenting — to move the DI program to the Daniel Lewis Middle School and move the seventh- and eighth-graders to the Flamson Middle School.
The approved recommendation from staff says that all current sixth- and seventh-graders will attend a joint junior high at the FMS site and all current fifth-graders will stay at their elementary site for the K-6 model.
The decision was made following a lengthy discussion between staff, trustees, and parents. The decision has been a long one, coming after a geohazard study result revealed a potential danger lurking beneath the Georgia Brown campus in May 2023. The results of the study 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). From there, the district ensued a limbo in what to do next with the campus.
Though a decision has been made, some trustees do not believe it to be the right one.
“I don’t think that this serves the most students and families … unless you can guarantee transportation, it’s not a good decision,” said Peterson prior to his vote.
Trustee Enney echoed Peterson’s concerns: “I think this is going to be very disruptive on a lot of people unneccessarily.”
Staff listed several pros for this option including:
- Current LMS campus has viable classrooms that closely align to Title 5 kindergarten requirements for DI program with minor modifications
- Current facility was built as an elementary school and layout supports a fluid K-8 design
- Least costly option
- Proximity to YMCA at Centennial for afterschool continuity
- Centrally located as a magnet program
And cons as:
- Limited space at LMS for either program
- Eventual portables will be needed for DI at LMS
- Transportation challenges for current dual-immersion students living on northwest side of town
- Requires movement of our Adaptive Learning Center (ALC) and Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC) programs from LMS to FMS.
To make the transition into LMS, a review of permanent kindergarten classroom placement to best align with Title 5, an interim play area for kindergarten students will be created along with a plan for an interim play area for grades 1-6. They will also collaborate with the YMCA for an afterschool program. At Flamson Middle School they will need to provide access to restrooms in the 10-classroom building for some programs.
Soon, staff will begin to finalize a daily schedule for sixth-graders and collaborate with teachers on the new curriculum. It is even possible that the newly merged school will undergo rebranding.
The next Paso Robles Joint Unified School District meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m.
