BANNING: Idea to re-purpose Coombs comes under fire : The Pass

Posted on | December 5, 2012 | Comments

The Banning school board is considering closing Coombs Intermediate School as it currently exists, putting fifth grade at the elementary school-level and sixth grade at Nicolet Middle School.

Under this recommendation, Coombs would house Adult Education, Independent Study, Special Education, the continuation school and possibly a pre-school and other special student programs.

School administrators say they?re looking at re-purposing Coombs to cut expenses and bring in new revenues, as the district is facing a $3 million budget shortfall in 2013-14.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the district has until Dec. 17 to provide the Riverside County Office of Education a fiscal recovery plan.

A committee in the district has been meeting since the summer to devise ways to close the budget gap. The recommendation to re-purpose Coombs comes from this committee, which includes union leaders, district administrators and two board members.

The recommendation did not sit well with the dozens of parents, students and Coombs staff members who filled the Nicolet auditorium for a board session the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 4. Some students held protest signs and every public speaker opposed the idea of putting fifth grade at the elementary schools and sixth grade at Nicolet.

Ramona Anderson took the podium and said, ?It?s hard to believe re-purposing Coombs is your most viable option.?

The district says no one at Coombs will lose their jobs; the district will find them work elsewhere in the district.

The district estimates it will save nearly $600,000 re-purposing Coombs, although $300,000 of that will have to go into Nicolet if a sixth grade is added.

Like other speakers, Anderson said she didn?t understand how the district was going to save money if no one was going to lose their jobs. She said the district would save more money if it closed one of the elementary schools that have lots of empty space.

Kim Bowman has two children who attend Coombs. One is in the fifth grade and the other is in the sixth grade. She said before the meeting she doesn?t want her fifth-grader to attend Nicolet next year.

?He?s not a big kid,? she said. ?He?s kind of quiet, kind of shy.?

Nicolet currently has seventh and eighth grades.

Students who addressed the board Tuesday night said they were afraid of being buillied at Nicolet.

Bowman also has a third-grader at Hemmerling Elementary School and said she is concerned he will be picked on by fifth-graders.

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Source: http://blog.pe.com/the-pass/2012/12/05/banning-idea-to-re-purpose-coombs-comes-under-fire/

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