NORTH BEND — A wrench has been thrown into North Bend school district’s grade reconfiguration discussion: Lighthouse School might move into the former Xerox/ACS call center.

The school board voted 6-1 Monday night to recommend that Hillcrest and North Bay become K-5 elementary schools. The District Leadership Team now has to figure out how to implement those changes by May 1. Board member Julianna Seldon was the sole dissenting vote.

But this decision could come back to haunt the board should Lighthouse not get approval to move into the call center. Lighthouse director Wade Lester said he won’t know “for a few more days” whether his school can make the move to the 18,000-square-foot building.

That big unknown made board members uneasy in their decision, though interim superintendent Bill Yester said it’s in the DLT’s hands to figure out implementation.

“If Lighthouse did move to the Xerox building, all our schools would be about 450 students,” Yester said.

Today, there are around 630 students in the middle school (grades 5-8), 550 in Hillcrest (a K-4 school), 250 in North Bay (a K-5 school) and around 220 in Lighthouse (the district’s K-8 charter school).

Three board members — Kurt Brecheisen, Deb Reid and Alane Jennings — favored a K-5 elementary model.

“Having Lighthouse removed from that equation just completely eliminates that concern (of overcrowding),” Reid said. “With that out of the picture, it’s easier to realize that K-5 is the superior model for the district.”

Board member Doug Gauntz said he was torn between K-4 and K-5 elementary models, while board chair Megan Jacquot preferred a K-6 model. Gauntz didn’t want to put a kink in the middle school’s progress toward turning around slipping grades. Jacquot conceded that the district wouldn’t be able to make the change to a K-6 model; her next choice was a K-5 model.

Board member Bob Adams Jr. didn’t favor one option over another, so long as students transition from elementary to middle school at the same time. His main concern is district boundary changes and how they would be managed year to year.

Seldon was originally concerned that a K-5 model would overcrowd the middle school, since Lighthouse would have to move to the middle school.

“I felt like it displaced too many people and didn’t solve the overcrowding issue — it just moved it,” she said. “But that was before this new idea for Lighthouse to have its own building. That throws a wrench in it a little bit.

“I don’t see this working if Lighthouse is not able to obtain the new space. The K-5 model is contingent on that space being viable for Lighthouse.”

If Lighthouse moves, “our problems are essentially solved,” Jacquot said. She wanted the board to make a decision Monday night in order to not “hold the rest of the district hostage” while waiting to hear from Lighthouse.

“If it didn’t work out, the K-5 model puts us here at the middle school, which is going to be tough, if not impossible,” Lester said. “Or it would leave us at North Bay, which is going to be tough, if not impossible. We’re at some degree of risk because this thing may not happen.”

Reporter Chelsea Davis can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 239, or by email at chelsea.davis@theworldlink.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ChelseaLeeDavis.