SCHOOL DISTRICT SETS DATES FOR FORUMS ON RECONFIGURATION

Cape Girardeau's Board of Education has set three meetings to solicit citizen input on plans to change the district grade configurations.

Meetings are planned:

-- Nov. 3 at May Greene Elementary, 1000 Ranney.

-- Nov. 9 at Alma Schrader Elementary, 1360 Randol.

-- Nov. 15 at Central Junior High School, 1900 Thilenius.

All three meetings begin at 7 p.m.

Written comments are also being solicited. People may send letters to any school board member or the district's central office.

At a study session of the school board Wednesday, members said they want community reactions to a plan to proceed toward implementation of a middle school, with or without a new building. Several different grade arrangements were presented.

The plan that received the most discussion calls for making May Greene Elementary School a sixth-grade center. All the district's sixth-graders would attend that school, just as all the district's seventh-graders attend L.J. Schultz now.

May Greene students in grades kindergarten through five would be given a choice of attending any of the district's other elementary schools provided space is available.

In addition to moving the district toward a middle school concept of educating youngsters, administrators told the board this plan would address Office of Civil Rights violations at May Greene. The school has a minority population over 60 percent. Federal regulations call any school with a minority population over 50 percent racially identifiable.

The school board is also looking at when to place a tax increase before voters again.