By Walter Gong
The Provo School Board has all but decided to close Joaquin Elementary, leaving central Provo residents worried neighborhood children will be left without a school in walking distance.
'If ever a school was needed that was walkable, it is in the central city for the Joaquin and Maeser neighborhoods,' said Joaquin neighborhood chairman Kurt Peterson at a Provo School Board meeting Tuesday night.
Although the decision to close Joaquin is not yet final, all three scenarios the board is currently considering call for the closure of the school.
'You have a problem you''re not solving if you don''t close Joaquin,' said Provo School District Superintendent Randy Merrill. 'It''s a building whose repair costs exceed its value ... and it''s been swallowed up by BYU student housing.'
School closures are an important part of the Provo School District master plan, a controversial effort to efficiently allocate the district''s educational resources.
The school board met in extended meetings Tuesday to discuss three scenarios for closing Joaquin.
One scenario, titled Approach A, would construct a new elementary school called Harbor Park to absorb the Joaquin population.
This approach would leave central Provo without an elementary school, forcing the district to bus students long distances to school.
The other two approaches would transform nearby Farrer Middle School into an elementary school.
Under Approach B1, the new Farrer Elementary would serve Joaquin students. Under Approach B2, it would also accommodate students from Maeser Elementary.
The school board will make final decisions on the master plan by mid-November. Public meetings are listed on the school district web site, www.provo.edu.