The East Valley School District board of directors have held several special meetings in the last two weeks to get input from parents and students on the closure of Mountain View Middle School next month. The board has announced another special meeting for Wednesday night to discuss the input they received. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at East Valley Middle School, 4920 N. Progress. If you can't make it, reporter Lisa Lienberger plans to attend and will have a story in Saturday's Valley Voice.

“It's kind of heartbreaking for me,” said Jim Stookey, who's been teaching at the school since 1985 . He drove all three of his son's with him to Mountain View Middle School when they attended there. “I have a lot of fond memories of the people.” SR photo/J. Bart Rayniak

The East Valley School District board of directors hosted three special meetings this week to talk to community members and parents about the closure of Mountain View Middle School, which will happen at the end of the school year. On Monday the board will hold two more special meetings, this time to meet with students at both middle schools and discuss their concerns about the process of merging together into one school.

The first meeting is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday at East Valley Middle School, 4920 N. Progress. The second is at Mountain View Middle School, 6011 N. Chase, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

I'm sure many students are worried and upset about the changes, so hopefully these meetings will help ease their minds.

The East Valley School District board of directors will hold the last two special meetings today to discuss upcoming changes to the district, including the closure of Mountain View Middle School and moving Skyview Elementary students. While the decisions are not up for debate, the district is seeking input from parents and the community on how to best handle the transition. A meeting held Monday apparently drew a fairly good crowd of about 100 people.

The first of today's meetings is from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Administration Center, 12325 E. Grace. If you go to this one, arrive early to make sure you get a seat. The board room isn't all that big. The second meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Trent Elementary Audiorium, however, will accommodate a large crowd. The school is located at 3303 N. Pines Road.

The East Valley School District board of directors will host a special meeting tonight to discuss upcoming changes in the district, including closing Mountain View Middle School and moving Skyview Elementary students. The closure decisions have been made, but the district is seeking input from parents and community members on how to make the changes as painless as possible. Tonight's meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mountain View, 6011 N. Chase.   

If you can't make it tonight, additional meetings are set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Administration Center, 12325 E. Grace, and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Trent Elementary, 3303 N. Pines.