Cost Forces Districts to Close Book on Lockers : Education: Vandalism and repair expenses are causing many schools to scrap the metal cabinets. Students complain about lugging heavy backpacks.

THE REGION —  “My dog ate it” still may fly as an excuse for lost homework. But “I left it in my locker” won’t fool teachers at nearly half of the San Gabriel Valley’s school districts.

Vandalism and high maintenance costs have forced 10 of the valley’s 22 unified and high school districts to expel student lockers from hallways, and four other districts plan to phase out lockers over the next few years. Eight valley districts still use lockers.

But the decision to let locker doors swing shut for the last time has left roughly 45,000 students toting book bags weighing about 25 pounds apiece. Multiplying those numbers gives a total of about 560 tons of books saddled on the backs of area students--and the youths aren’t happy about lugging that extra weight.

“It makes you get hunchbacked,” said 16-year-old James Ross of Alhambra High as he waddled around with his shoulders rolled forward. “My back wasn’t designed to wear a backpack. I’m supposed to stand up straight.”

Freshman Shannon Southard, 14, was also against Alhambra’s policy of phasing out lockers. “I think it’s wrong freshmen don’t get lockers,” she said.

“We have more homework, we carry more books and teachers expect more from us as freshmen,” she said. “Plus we could get scoliosis.”

But money talks louder than students with aching backs, said Charter Oak Unified Supt. Susan Rainey.

“We have had about a dozen complaints about how heavy book bags are from students,” she said. “But we were spending about $25,000 a year for personnel and maintenance costs for the lockers. It almost took an employee working full time to keep up with the problems with lockers.”

Charter Oak has suffered $1.2 million in budget cuts over the last three years, so the school board opted to pay $15,000 to take the lockers out in 1991, Rainey said.

“It was one budget item we could eliminate,” Rainey said. “Pulling the lockers out gives a much more open feeling to the school, and we were concerned about the increasing feeling . . . that if students brought inappropriate things to school, like drugs or alcohol, they could lay them in their lockers.”

Many districts see scrapping lockers as a way to remove the temptation to bring guns, knives and other contraband to campus. South El Monte High opened in 1992 without lockers--the metal cabinets were left off the blueprints completely--and students say they’ve gotten used to shouldering heavy bags and like not worrying about guns or taggers.

“No books get stolen, we have no vandalism and no tagging,” Alfred Vargas, a 15-year-old sophomore, said as he waited for his ride after school. His stooped posture resulted from toting his bag and his little brother’s pack as well.

“A lot of people like it here, it’s brand new. We don’t even have too many fights,” he said.

School security guard Mike Alfaro said the lack of lockers and increased security has nipped vandalism in the bud. “We had some tagging in the restrooms last year, but now they’re locked, and kids have to get a pass to get in,” he said.

As far as lockers go, he believes the district will never put them in at South El Monte.

“The cost, the hassles, the problems; they’d just rather not deal with it,” Alfaro said. “And it puts a lot of responsibility on the kids, which I think is good. You carry your books with you, and there’s no excuses to go to your locker.”

Lockers at older high schools, such as Claremont and Monrovia, also are swinging shut for the last time because the metal cabinets date back to the 1920s and replacement parts are getting too expensive.

“We don’t have repair money, so as they become unrepairable, we get rid of them. They’re kind of phasing themselves out,” said Claremont Principal Lonnie McConnell, whose district absorbed $800,000 in cuts in 1993.

Administrators at Azusa High School are considering removing lockers next year. Azusa students have one response when asked if they relish the idea of toting their lockers on their backs:

“We have too many books,” said Josie Ayala, a sophomore. “If they take out the lockers, they should put in a set of classroom books.”

Some districts have purchased duplicate sets of texts, one for the home and one for the classroom.

The Alhambra School District is considering buying two sets, but high prices may force officials to shelve the idea. A set of textbooks includes 35 books, which can cost from $35 to $50 each. Ron Heape, assistant principal at Alhambra High, estimated buying two of every book would cost the school more than $200,000.

Yet Heape said studies have shown that buying duplicate books while getting rid of lockers can save money in the long run. “Books aren’t getting banged up so much, and your chances of loss are greatly reduced when students take them home one time and bring them back one time.”

And, he added, “It’ll stop them from having to lug around 20- to 30-pound book bags.”

The Lowdown on Lockers

Districts with lockers * Azusa Unified * Baldwin Park Unified * San Marino Unified * South Pasadena Unified * Walnut Valley Unified * West Covina Unified * Rowland Unified * Glendora Unified * Temple City Unified

Districts without lockers * Bassett Unified * Bonita Unified * Charter Oak Unified * Covina-Valley Unified * Pasadena Unified * El Monte Union High School District * Hacienda La Puente Unified * Pomona Unified * Arcadia Unified

Districts phasing out lockers * Claremont Unified * Monrovia Unified * Duarte Unified * Alhambra City and High School districts