Oxnard school district opposes county’s decision to put unification to public vote
Board says a number of the key conditions for unification would not be met with current plan
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

The Oxnard Union High School District board said it will appeal a Ventura County committee’s decision to let Camarillo and Somis voters decide whether or not the Pleasant Valley School District should unify and include high school students.

The committee on school district organization voted 91 Monday to allow the public to vote on the hot-button issue. Proponents of unification want a K-12 school district in Camarillo. The three area high schools are currently overseen by the Oxnard district.

Richard Duarte was the sole dissenter in the committee’s vote.

The 10-member committee, representing the five county supervisorial districts, decided that should a Camarillo unified school district materialize, it will have five trustees elected by voters in the Somis and Pleasant Valley school districts.

Voters in the Oxnard Union High School District would be excluded.

The Oxnard school board, in a special meeting on Tuesday, decided to file an appeal with the state board of education based on the election area and the merits of the county committee’s decision that all nine state-mandated criteria for reorganization had been met.

Jody Dunlap, superintendent of the Oxnard Union High School District, said the county committee went against the recommendation of their consultant on three of the nine items and the Oxnard board agrees with the consultant.

“I’m disappointed; I’m gravely disappointed,” Pleasant Valley Trustee Sandra Berg said. “With them wanting to build another high school, this just ties their hands from being able to take care of their students.”

An appeal could delay getting the petition on the November 2007 ballot.

Key conditions for reorganization

Meeting nine reorganization conditions set by state law was an obligation the petition seeking to create a K-12 school district in Camarillo had to fulfill in an arduous four-year process before the committee could render its final decision this week.

A committee majority agreed the petition “substantially met” all conditions. In so doing, however, the group disagreed with their own consultant’s recommendation that three items, which were the most controversial and drew the most discussion from the group, did not satisfy the law.

Conditions four, six and nine, respectively, address whether a new Camarillo school district would promote racial segregation, disrupt students’ education or result in a financial setback to the existing or proposed district.

Most of the members downplayed the impact of moving the largely white Camarillo student population out of the Oxnard school district. They said new housing developments probably could be a source of new students, making up for the imbalance.

Judy Bysshe said the petition did not promote segregation but only replicated existing school district boundaries.

“It’s not promoting it; it’s not creating it,” Jan Iceland said. “It’s just letting it continue.”

On the other hand, Duarte said Rio Mesa High School would be further isolated racially should unification occur and the committee would be supporting de facto segregation.

When the discussion turned to whether the proposed district would disrupt educational programs in the proposed district, condition six, Iceland scolded the Pleasant Valley School District for being unprepared.

“I’m extremely disappointed in Pleasant Valley—they’ve had all these years,” Iceland said. “I don’t think they’ve planned at all . . . for a high school program.”

Duarte said that English language learners will suffer further isolation, though more of them will be expected to reach English proficiency in the coming years.

“A subgroup in isolation meeting those requirements—I can’t agree,” Duarte said.

Tim Stephens said the Pleasant Valley School District’s educational history is positive and should continue to be if high school students are added.

Meeting condition nine concerned Janet Lindgren, who said it was likely that Oxnard would be adversely affected if longtime high school teachers wanted to stay with that district because of higher salaries.

Bysshe said Camarillo and Somis voters will probably face a school bond measure on the ballot at some point because of the cost of unification, although a large number of Camarillo voters rejected Measure H in 2004.

Construction costs have skyrocketed in the last few years, Bysshe said, and that could present problems for a new school district in building a high school or remodeling existing facilities.

Other committee members agreed that voters will ultimately have to make financial decisions.

“They’re going to have to sell this to the voters,” Leo Molitor said of unification advocates.

Pleasant Valley teachers Sharon Moore and Kerrie Vernon said they were delighted that the issue appeared to have been resolved Monday. The women teach kindergarten at Camarillo Heights Elementary School and have children who attended schools in the Pleasant Valley and Oxnard Union High school districts. Unification makes sense from the teachers’ and parents’ viewpoint, they said.

“Education is just more sound, to have a seamless flow from kindergarten to 12th grade,” Moore said. “Local control is very important for the education process.”

Vernon acknowledged that the issue has polarized the two communities, but she believes time can heal the relationship.

“That’s what a democracy is all about—having the right to vote, express your opinion and learn to get along with those outcomes,” Vernon said.

Members of the public can appeal to the state board of education within 30 days of the committee’s decision.

Appeals may only be based on issues of racial segregation or the designated election area, according to Stan Mantooth, secretary of the county committee.