Protests had cooled, but bitter divisions remained by the time the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board unanimously approved a revamp of eight of the district’s underachieving schools: Seaside High, Fitch Middle, King, Highland, Ord Terrace, Del Rey Woods, Marina Vista and Los Arboles.

Now, the district is free to apply for up to $48 million in federal grants on the condition that four schools – Seaside, King, Fitch and Highland – replace half their staffs, forcing a major teacher reshuffle that affects nearly every school in the district. The potential three-year cash infusion comes as a significant reduction in per-pupil spending is forecast next year.

Still, earlier this month, students at Monterey High hit the streets to protest the loss of their favorite teachers, while parents questioned whether intensive reform at low-performing schools would come at a price to those that are already making the grade.

But immediately before the May 24 board vote, Superintendent Marilyn Shepherd warned that if the board didn’t opt for the revamp, the schools, and perhaps the entire Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, would face state takeover. “If we don’t [make changes], we’re going to be looking at a potential trustee,” Shepherd said.

This week state-appointed trustees took over Alisal and Greenfield districts because of poor academic performance, sidelining elected school boards.

MPUSD’s proposed improvements read like an educator’s dream: funding for music, art and physical education, as well as extra counselors for kids with behavioral problems and a slew of high-tech equipment. Extra help is promised for high school kids who have trouble passing the high school exit exam, and additional support will be offered to students who are learning English or who might be at risk for dropping out.

Some parents who opposed the teacher reshuffle complained that the district never clearly explained the reasons particular teachers had been selected for transfer. Others questioned whether any improvements in student performance would dry up in three years when the money is gone.

“That’s another challenge,” says Bill Porter of Education First Consulting, a private firm that helps states craft education reform proposals. “I don’t know if we’ve quite figured that out.”

The reform model MPUSD has chosen is called turnaround, and comes from the corporate world where CEOs get the axe when they fail to perform. It’s still a work in progress, Porter says. But he sides with federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who argues that radical change can’t happen fast enough to rescue millions of children from failing schools.

Seaside residents showed little ambivalence about the proposed changes. Kathryn Badon told the board, “Whenever something positive is done to help Seaside, there is an outcry that other cities will somehow suffer as a result.”

Bridging the gap between Seaside and Monterey will take some work, says school board member Helen Rucker.

“We have to admit that some very hateful things were said about the Seaside community, and we have to talk about this. Because people are poor or a different color, they’re entitled to the same level of education. We’ve got to bury some of these conceptions that people have that because you live in Seaside you’re different or you’re less than,” Rucker said.