As the city of Euclid remakes and reinvents itself, perhaps no institution in town will change more over the next year or two than the Euclid City Schools. By this time next year, the system will have reopened two schools that have been closed since 1987, added a middle school, and completely - completely - restructured Euclid High School. In the next year or so, this school system will undergo more changes than most school systems in the country. And it will all be for the good of the district's 6,400 students.

"This is a historic time," says Superintendent Joffrey Jones. "We are transforming the entire system in Euclid, K through 12."

So let's start with the biggest change - the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and several other funders have awarded the school system a $1.4 million grant to restructure Euclid's high school educational system, says Superintendent Jones.

Euclid High School will be restructured to become six different, autonomous schools within the existing building. Each school will have separate guidance counselors, secretaries and principals. Students will have one lunch area, and the Athletic Department will continue to function as one high school. Students will be able to choose to attend one of these schools: Business and Communication; The Professional Path; Academy of Intellectual and Interpersonal Development; Euclid Academy of the Arts; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; and the International Academy for Accelerated Achievement.

Since Euclid High School is three stories with two wings each, each new school will essentially occupy one of the wings. Lockers will be color-coded. Computers will be distributed throughout the new schools.

"This will transform high school education as we know it," says Jones.

What Bill and Melinda Gates didn't allow for, the citizens of Euclid did, passing a levy that will allow the schools to ease overcrowding by reopening two buildings that have been closed since the 1980s. Where there is now one middle school, next year there will be two, with about 750 students in each. "Every-day kindergarten will be reopening," says Jones. The school district will have six neighborhood elementary schools, as well as a magnet school.

The district will also maintain its very strong vocational programs in areas like law enforcement, computer information systems, and graphic arts, among others. Euclid High School is also nationally recognized for its student mediation program, and regularly presents that program to meetings everywhere.

Probably few school districts in history has taken on so many new projects, and such complete restructuring in physical facilities and educational philosophy, in such a short period of time. The story of Euclid City School District is one worth following into the future.