Environmental report stokes unification debate
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Controversy flared again over unification in the Pleasant Valley School District when an environmental impact report released last Friday found no significant or unavoidable adverse impacts if Camarillo and Somis high school students were added to the district.

"There's nothing there," school board trustee Sandra Berg said of the report's findings. "What other effects could there be that we don't have on Saturday or Sunday when our kids are at home. ... The EIR just looks great for us."

The report analyzed areas that a previous study and input from the public and other sources identified as having the potential for problems-aesthetics, air and water quality, noise, public services, traffic circulation and utilities.

The report, however, offered limited information on the effects on the environment of a unified school district--because there is no such entity to analyze and because it hasn't been determined yet whether a new high school would be constructed or converted from an existing facility. The report offered only "reasonably foreseeable conditions" of what may occur. If the Pleasant Valley school district unifies, a more specific report would need to be prepared.

Trustee John Alamillo, who doesn't oppose unification but thinks the timing is inappropriate, said the report's conclusion was expected.

"I don't see any issues that we would have ... without unification other than traffic patterns around (Adolfo) Camarillo High School," he said.

Alamillo said the report incorrectly assumes Camarillo students who attend Rio Mesa High School would be relocated to Frontier High School. Although that Camarillo facility would probably lose its Oxnard students if the district unifies, it's likely the additional students would attend Adolfo Camarillo High School and not the continuation school, he said.

He doesn't think the incorrect assumption changes the results, though he said ACHS would be overcrowded.

And while the report states that significant environmental impacts could result from construction of a new high school, the district could choose other options without that potential. In any case, the report states that those options available to a unified Pleasant Valley school district are also open to the Oxnard Union High School District.

The public will be able to make comments on the report over the next 45 days. Comments must be made in writing and directed to Stan Mantooth, associate superintendent, Ventura County Office of Education, 5189 Verdugo Way, Camarillo, CA 93012 or sent via e-mail to mantooth@vcoe.org.

The environmental impact report is available at www.vcss.k12.ca.us/. Click on "Administrative Services," "School District Organization" and then scroll down to "Draft Environmental Impact Report."

Mantooth, who's also secretary to the Ventura County Committee on School District Unification, said after the public input period the committee will decide whether to approve the report and take a position on unification.

He said both decisions could occur in December.

A departure note

Also last week, former Superintendent Tom Dase released his update on unification, which ignited more controversy. Dase left the district Sept. 15 for a position with a school district in Northern California.

To view his report, go to www1.pvsd.k12.ca.us and click on "The Unification Solution Issue # 7."

Alamillo disputed several points that Dase makes in the report. Dase stated that the district could receive an extra $6 million per year in state incentives to unify.

"His statement may be misleading in the amount of money that may be available for educational services; in fact, the amount may not be even enough to cover and may detract from (money) for educational services," Alamillo said.

If the state money-which would be used to bring the pay of elementary and middle school teachers on par with that of high school teachers in a unified school district-isn't enough, the Pleasant Valley school district will have to make up the difference.

In addition Alamillo said the two former superintendents Dase believed were pro-unification actually took a neutral stand and wanted the school district instead to focus on more important matters.

"It's only been since Dr. Dase came that we've ... had the board drive the unification train," Alamillo said.

"That he's someone who was such an avid supporter pack up and leave doesn't send a good message about his commitment to the unification effort," he said.

And the unification drive has been a costly one for the school district, Alamillo said. It's cost the district more than $300,000 for lobbyists, lawyers and studies and the county unification committee $90,000 or more.

Alamillo thinks unification will not get another high school built in the community.

"I think once the unification issue is resolved, they will commence living up to their promise to build a new high school," he said of the Oxnard high school district.

Also included in Dase's report, and echoed by Berg at the Sept. 7 Pleasant Valley school board meeting, is a May 11comment made by Tom Griffin, attorney for the Oxnard Union High School District. Griffin told the board that "it would be a terrible mistake to build a comprehensive school in Somis."

Socorro Lopez-Hanson, school board president for the Oxnard high school district, said Griffin's statement is his opinion and doesn't represent any action taken by the board.

"It's an opinion, but it's up to us as board members to ultimately decide what direction the district is going in. It's our intention and it always has been to build a high school in Somis," she said.

"At no point in time has our board decided ... we're not going to build a high school in Camarillo," Lopez-Hanson said.

The Oxnard high school district was poised to begin building a comprehensive high school on

property in Somis but halted the process when unification efforts started gearing up a couple of years ago, she said.

Had the process proceeded, it was expected that the proposed high school would open in 2008 or 2010, she said.