To the relief of the Arbor Heights community, the local school was not included in Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson's most recent recommendations regarding school closures across the district.

The district had recommended on Nov. 25 that the Arbor Heights program close and Pathfinder K-8, an alternative school, move into the building. But on Dec. 9 the school district released a new set of recommendations which suggested closing the Cooper Elementary program and moving Pathfinder into the Cooper building.

If the school board approves closing Cooper, students in the program will be reassigned to other neighborhood schools based on their home address for the 2009-2010 school year.

The school district also released a new recommendation regarding students in Lowell Elementary's Accelerated Progress Program. Previously, it was suggested that West Seattle students in the program be transferred to Hawthorne Elementary in Rainier Valley. While that is still a possibility, the district has also recommended moving them to Thurgood Marshall Elementary, in the Central Seattle sector.

These recommendations are not final and could be revised. A final recommendation will be presented on Jan. 6 by the school district which the School Board will vote on on Jan. 29.

More information on the district's recommendations can be found at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/capacity/index.dxml.

To make comments to the school board please call (206) 252-0040.