A center that takes-in problem students is set to open in San Diego next school year. The problem is no one wants it in their community. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
Students who are suspended or skip school will be sent to San Diego's first-ever truancy center. District officials want the center in a gang-free area close to public transit.
But people living near the proposed sites worry the center will cause more problems than it solves. The most viable location is an office space in Mission Valley. The district plans to spend half-a-million dollars to lease the space.
Superintendent Carl Cohn says there are few options.
Cohn : So it’s not like we were out there not looking for a site or that we wanted to spend half a million dollars. It was the notion these are not among the most popular programs in terms of improving everyone's property values.
School board member Shelia Jackson proposes a cheaper option. She's says the truancy center can move into Gompers High School when it closes later this year. But officials worry that Gompers is not a central location and there may be gang activity.
District officials expect to have at least 60 students a day at the center. The board plans to talk about the issue next month.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS Radio.
