WACO (January 19, 2012)-- After almost two hours of back and forth, the Waco ISD. school board inched closer to closing under-enrolled schools in the district.
During Thursday night's meeting, the school board reached an agreement to continue considering the closures of North Waco and Sul Ross Elementary Schools.
Also heavily debated among members was whether the Blue Plan, as created by two community members, was an option for the district.
The board members agreed that closing A.J. Academy after $4 million in renovations was not a wise move, but could not decide if moving middle school students into the same building as high school students was the best option.
The board did agree that the district should look into the Blue Plan, and created the new Pink/Red Plan for review as well.
-Create a defined attendance zone for Carver Middle School while maintaining a magnet program at the school.
-Move Brazos Middle School to A.J. Moore and convert Moore into a middle school.
-Move A.J. Moore Academy to the new University High School campus.
-Add 8-12 classrooms to Cesar Chavez Middle School and move University Middle School students to the Chavez campus
-Add a magnet program, for advanced academics, to Tennyson Middle School.
-Sell properties along I-35, including Sul Ross, the Alternative School, and University Middle School.
The addition at Cesar Chavez would bring students from south Waco to the campus, and the magnet program on Tennyson campus would serve students in west Waco.
Board President Pat Atkins says the Pink/Red Plan would allow the district to operate four middle schools, while increasing the efficiency of the buildings.
It would also allow the district to move campuses away from the interstate and use the sale of those properties to help fund the cost of any renovations needed, he said.
