New Era For Natomas-Area Middle Schools

The plan, approved last week by district trustees, will save $2 million in costs.

Key elements include:

· Moving Natomas Middle School staff and students to the new middle-school facility at H. Allen Hight Learning Center beginning in the 2009-10 school year
· Expanding Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep (NP3) law-themed charter high school to include grades 6-8 and moving the school to the Natomas Middle School campus on Del Paso Road where it will share the site with Westlake Charter School in 2009-10
· Creating two learning academies of about 400 students each for both of the district’s middle schools, Leroy F. Greene Middle and Natomas Middle at its new location at the H. Allen Hight Learning Center — with the acad­emies phased in over the next two years

The Middle-School Design Team will assist with implementing the plan to create the new learning academies. These “schools-within-a-school” at Leroy F. Greene and Natomas Middle School will have their own dean, counselor, aca­demic theme and identities including school colors and mascot, etc.

The savings will come from using existing district facilities for NP3 rather than leasing non-district property and from using the H. Allen Hight middle-school facility with existing staff and supplies from Natomas Middle School.

Details of the middle-school transformation will be made available at upcoming board, staff and community meet­ings.