Schools
Laurel Seeks Community's Help in Middle School Expansion
The addition of two 8th-grade classes will rely on next year's enrollment numbers, says LAUSD school board member Steve Zimmer.
A handful of parents, along with West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman and Councilwomen Lindsey Horvath and Abbe Land, gathered at 's Fiesta Hall on Saturday morning to discuss the future of Laurel School.
In an effort to bring a public middle school option to West Hollywood area families, the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school, located just outside city limits, added a 7th grade classroom in the fall. Two 8th-grade classes are scheduled for the next school year.
But in order to expand, Laurel needs numbers. Enrollment week begins Monday.
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Current enrollment tops out at about 250 students at Laurel, with 24 fifth- and 29 sixth-grade students, and 40 students in the 7th grade. A minimum of 60 enrolled fifth- and sixth-grade students were required of Laurel in order to offer the additional classes last year.
"The next step is to engage other parent groups. If we build the right option, the numbers are there," LAUSD school board member Steve Zimmer told attendees of the community meeting.
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No specific target number was released on Saturday—just an emphasis on getting the word out.
"I am not pretending to have all the answers," Zimmer said. "We have some clear principles that are guiding us, and beyond that, we are just creating."
Larger elementary schools , , Wonderland and are other nearby choices.
"I'm tired of driving 10 miles away to a charter school. It was good for the first year, but I would rather help local schools," said Joanne Palmer, mother of three (ages 12, 10 and 7) and West Hollywood Elementary Booster Club founder. "Converging all three [elementary schools] into this middle school would be a total powerhouse."
Before Laurel's 7th-grade class, the only two middle school options for West Hollywood families were John Burroughs Middle School at 6th Street and McCadden Place and Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School, located at 929 N. Las Palmas Ave.
"Bancroft is a good 5 miles from West Hollywood," said Zimmer. "It's just not realistic for families, and a very different community from West Hollywood."
Heilman, who spoke at the meeting, emphasized a "community-based effort" to expand Laurel.
"It is about working collaboratively to use school facilities ... to improve them—not just for students, but for the community," he said. "We know that this is not something that everyone in the community will avail themselves to."
Zimmer remains optimistic about Laurel's future.
"This is the most significant education initiative in decades," he said. "It stands a chance to be transformative."
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