Students dread transition out of Beverly Hills Unified

Carla Rivera:

The few dozen nonresident eighth-graders who won't be going to Beverly High as planned say they're left in limbo, not sure where to enroll or how they'll adjust to new academic and social standards.

Taylor Short said the last few weeks have been like walking through a fog, unable to see what's ahead. The Beverly Vista Elementary eighth-grader has no idea where she'll enroll next year. She wonders whether she'll stay in touch with her best friends and feels let down by adults.

David Yona, a top athlete at El Rodeo Elementary, said he had been looking forward to the summer, when sports teams condition and train. Sadness sets in when he thinks about the fun he will probably miss before he starts his freshman year in the fall.

Although Taylor and David live outside the Beverly Hills Unified School District, they have attended its schools for years on special permits. The district's Board of Education voted last month not to renew permits for the eighth-graders and other elementary students. They allowed high school students to continue through graduation.

The district is changing the way it funds schools, declining state money based on student attendance and instead using property-tax revenue. Board members argued that Beverly Hills taxpayers should not subsidize education for nonresidents.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 9, 2010 2:02 AM
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