Board approves $100,000 for legal fees
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Having already spent $500,000 in the effort to add high school students to the Pleasant Valley School District, the school board voted last week to set aside $100,000 for expected legal fees in the ongoing battle for unification.

The board voted 4-1, with Suzanne Kitchens the only dissenter.

Kitchens said her vote was not politically motivated but cast because the lengthy campaign to unify has been flawed.

"From the inception, my concerns have not been addressed to a level where I can vote on issues like this," she said.

Kitchens added that the school board has a "history of not giving the community the opportunity to trust us."

The board's move was prompted by an appeal last month by the Oxnard Union High School District to the State Board of Education. Camarillo and Somis teens attend school in the Oxnard district.

The Oxnard district is contesting the decision of a county committee that a K-12 Camarillo school district meets stateset conditions for reorganization and that voters in Camarillo and Somis can decide the hotly debated issue.

Aside from Oxnard, 11 people have filed a joint appeal with the state on the committee's decision. Trustee Sandra Berg read their names at the board meeting and said they were responsible for the district having to spend additional money.

The kindergartenthrougheighthgrade Pleasant Valley district has spent $500,000 since 1992 on unification, Superintendent Ken Moffett said.

"It seems to me that you have an obligation . . . to continue to try to get this to a vote so the community has the final say," Moffett told the board.

This is not a new expense, Moffett said. And although he said he's unsure exactly what legal assistance would cost the district, Moffett didn't think it would come close to $100,000. He recommended that figure because it falls "well within" the amount already reserved for legal costs.

In light of the possibility that the district could close as many as three schools by fall, Moffett said he wants to stay within the budget.

Susann Zeigler, president of the Pleasant Valley Education Foundation, took a practical position on the decision to spend the money.

Public education is a $60 million business and, like any other, has legal expenses, the union leader said.

"What they did tonight is really put a limit on themselves, and that's a good thing," Zeigler said.