The Arcadia Board of Education will be asked to approve criteria determining if segregation exists in local schools. A public hearing will then be held, and a report submitted to the State Dept. of Education.
A hearing was held re the Arcadia Unified School District definition of segregation. The Board's criterion is that a school is segregated only when one minority group exceeds 50% of that school's enrollment.
Summary of changes in the redevelopment law to become effective January 1, 1977. Now it will be up to the Community Redevelopment Agency to justify its processes.
Terrance M. Towner, former Pasadena resident and school superintendent in Los Gatos, will be next superintendent for the Arcadia Unified School District. The Arcadia Board of Education selected Towner after a 4-month search. He replaces Stephen Goldstone, who left in September to become superintendent with the Chino Unified School District. Mr. Towner will earn $91,000 per year.
Senate Bill 275 (Ding Bill), which provides for collective bargaining, binding arbitration, and the right to strike, is causing great conflict between the School Board and teachers in the Arcadia district. The Board has voted 5-0 to support the Winston Act and oppose any State legislation that would replace its provisions. The Winston Act was passed in 1969 and required that School Boards meet and confer in good faith with teachers in determining salary schedules, fringe benefits, and working conditions.
Arcadia students will begin to learn about AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases through a program starting next February. The Board of Education will establish a committee to come up with the curriculum on the subject.
A reduction of 4 or 5 teachers in the Arcadia schools has been proposed as a means of cutting next year's budget. The district hopes to achieve this by attrition.
James Harvey, concluding his second 4 year term, will not seek re-election. Don Fickas, whose term also expires in 1977, has not decided whether or not to seek another term. Filing dates for the April 19 election are January 20 through February 18.