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Teachers, parents and students urge board not to repurpose McKevitt Elementary for Isabella early‑childhood campus
Summary
Dozens of teachers, parents and students told the Santa Paula Unified School District board they oppose plans to repurpose McKevitt Elementary for an Isabella early‑childhood campus, citing test‑score gains, community ties, staffing and safety concerns and urging alternatives that preserve the school.
Dozens of teachers, parents and students urged the Santa Paula Unified School District board on Jan. 22 to abandon plans to repurpose McKevitt Elementary for a centralized early‑childhood campus tied to the Isabella project.
"This school is special," said Donna Cowles, a first‑grade teacher at McKevitt, describing the campus as a family‑like community that she said produces strong academic results. Cowles and other speakers repeatedly pointed to McKevitt’s gains on state assessments and argued that turning the site into a preschool would disrupt students, staff and long‑standing neighborhood ties.
Allison LaPral, a second‑grade teacher, read letters written by her students expressing anxiety…
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