Englewood Leadership Academy students and their parents made up the majority of a crowd of about 80 who attended the Jan. 13 public forum about School Superintendent Sean McDaniel’s proposal for major changes to the district.

The forum was the third and final session school administrators and school board members scheduled to listen to comments from parents, students and residents about the superintendent’s proposal. Board members and administrators stressed repeatedly that nothing had been decided and that they were listening to the comments to help them prepare to consider taking action on the proposal at a special board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the administration building, 4101 S. Bannock Street.

While most of the discussion at the Jan. 13 forum concerned ELA and where it will be relocated, McDaniel also told the audience he was asking the board to take action on the five major elements of his proposal at a special Jan. 15 meeting: educating all elementary school students in four buildings — Clayton, Cherrelyn, Bishop and Hay; making the Maddox building home to the Early Childhood Education program; moving the Englewood Leadership Academy to a new location; either leasing or demolishing the Lowell building; and establishing four attendance areas, one in each quadrant of the city, for the four remaining elementary schools.

McDaniel told the Jan, 13 audience that the five elements are the framework for changes to the district and, if the board approve the proposal Jan. 15, school staff will begin working Jan. 15 to iron out the details needed to make the five elements work successfully.

The proposal asks the board to approve closing the Lowell Building and moving ELA. Locations considered included Hay Elementary School and Englewood High School.

The majority of comments from ELA students and parents indicated they favored the high school location.

McDaniel introduced his proposal to the school board Dec. 15, noting that everyone agrees the district needs to do things to improve student achievement. He added that, if the district continued doing things the same way, the results would be remain unchanged.

McDaniel said the purpose of all elements of the proposal is to help the district do a better job of education all the students. He stressed there are many pockets of success around the district and the idea is to build and expand those successes.