The Newton Community School District is going back to a configuration of neighborhood schools — sort of.
The NCSD board voted 5-2 at Monday night's meeting to approve a motion to adopt “Option No. 2” — as enumerated on literature for recent public forums.
Nat Clark, who made the motion, voted in favor of it, as did board members Andy Elbert, Bill Perrenoud and Travis Padget and board president Sheri Benson. Board members Donna Cook and Robyn Friedman voted against it.
Clark's motion also called for the school year for the implementation of the reconfiguration to be determined at a later date. The reconfiguration won't take place any earlier than the start of the 2016-17 school year. The district will have four K-4 elementary schools.
Option 2 also calls for about 274 students at Aurora Heights, Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson elementaries and the about-to-be-reopened Emerson Hough Elementary School. Emerson Hough was closed in 2010 after having been a staple of Newton schools since it was built in 1926.
Five people signed up to speak at the meeting; reconfiguration was announced as an action item on the agenda late last week. All five spoke against reconfiguring.
See Tuesday's Newton Daily News for more details.