The Beverly Hills Unified School District’s Board of Education continued exploring reconfiguration options during a study session last week, this time with a clearer picture of how to accommodate the changes with ongoing construction.

A Future Focused School Team of parents and teachers recommended switching from four K-8 schools to three K-5s with one middle school for grades 6-8 to address the issue of decreased enrollment and overstaffing of teachers. Superintendent Michael Bregy and district administrators made the same recommendation, but the board did not vote on whether to begin any type of reconfiguration due to questions over the effects on enrollment, how the construction planned for multiple school sites will be impacted and other concerns.

“The thing that was missing from our discussions, and you can certainly ask people that were part of that group, is that we didn’t really know where we were going with construction,” Bregy said in a presentation to the board. “At that time, we had our Measure E dollars, and as we were talking about, it was difficult for us to give the cabinet, the public, the Future Focused School Team, any specific information about where are we going with our construction.”

Measure E, passed by Beverly Hills voters in 2008, was a $334 million construction bond that allowed the district to begin renovating its school sites. During the initial reconfiguration discussions earlier this year, one of the variables was Measure BH, which the board had not yet voted to put on the June 5 statewide primary ballot. It eventually passed, giving the district a clearer picture. District administration has also been working since January to answer many of the board’s questions about reconfiguring as construction continues.

“That really for us was the anchor we needed to solve that missing piece about where are we going,” Bregy said.

He continued, “I feel like there is an opportunity to look at what we’re currently doing for the elementary school, but also, we have to keep in mind, we have to improve the quality of learning in the school district.”

One plan involves closing El Rodeo for two years, and eventually reopening it as a K-5 school, with all students in grades 6-8 moving to Beverly Vista, which would be a dedicated middle school. Bregy said this option would bolster enrollment at each grade level and help the district improve its programming.

Other options he mentioned were maintaining three K-8 sites instead of four, or having one K-2 school, one 3-5 school and one 6-8 school, although he added that it was “not something we would recommend.”

“We are not providing the robust middle school that our students deserve,” Bregy said. “Every day that goes by, we see missed opportunities in the classroom and I see students having to choose between a foreign language and an honors math class, or having to pick up an instrument or be in an honors class, is a day that we are failing our students.

“I realize this is controversial,” he added. “But it’s a recommendation that the Future Focused Schools Team had, also the cabinet. The information we have now provides us with an incredible opportunity to provide a long-term plan for our school district.”

The board will consider its options further in the coming months with more information from district administration.

“There are significant decisions to be made within the next month or two and there are decisions that are rare, transformational,” school board member Mel Spitz said. “I’m really looking forward to working with my colleagues and staff in arriving at good, solid make sense decisions.”