Parents say school closure committee raises questions, offers few answers
Closures needed to save district, according to officials
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Parents in the Pleasant Valley School District are questioning interim superintendent Ken Moffett about the pending closure of several campuses in the district.

Most of the questions have focused on activities of the 7-11 Committee, an 11member advisory board of parents, teachers and community members. Since January the committee has been looking at whether schools need to be closed and where those closures should be made. The committee's recommendation is expected to go to the school board March 15. The board will then make the final decision on which schools to close.

Many parents said they were frustrated not knowing if their child's school will close.

"I'm not really clear on it," said the mother of one student following a school closure meeting at Tierra Linda on Monday. "It's a lot of talk with no answers. I came here to find out more, but I don't feel like I am."

Another parent, Rose Gonzales, wanted to know if her daughter's school, Dos Caminos Elementary, would close. She pressed Moffett for an answer several times during the meeting last week, but Moffett said he didn't know.

"That's why I'm frustrated," Gonzales said. "We've been living here for three years and now they talk about closing the school."

The state pays school districts according to enrollment figures, and the school district operates more schools than enrollment supports, Moffett said. Families with young children aren't moving into the district, and the closing of businesses has made the situation worse. Technicolor, for example, announced recently it will cut 630 jobs in Camarillo before the year's end.

Moffett recommends closing at least one middle school and two elementary schools by next year. If the district doesn't do that, he said, the results could be "disastrous."

The district can save $1.5 million a year by closing three schools, Moffett said. The savings could go to restore educational support programs, such as the homework hotline, and to boost teachers' salaries, nearly the lowest in the county, he said.

Moffett said operating costs are basically the same whether a school has 300 or 600 students. For maximum efficiency, the district wants elementary schools to serve between 550 and 700 students and middle schools to serve 1,000 to 1,200 students. None of the middle schools and only two elementary schools meet those numbers, he said.

In forming a recommendation, the 7-11 Committee has rated older school facilities on their ability to accommodate more students. It was not necessary to evaluate Rancho Rosal, La Mariposa and Tierra Linda elementary schools and Monte Vista and Las Colinas middle schools because they already have their target enrollment or can accommodate additional students, according to Assistant Superintendent Barbara Davis.

The committee is also developing several school closure scenarios. In making a recommendation, the 7-11 Committee is considering the financial impact to the district and not a school's academic performance or area property values, Moffett said.

"We're looking at different scenarios, and that's getting a lot of people anxious, and I understand that, because they love their school," Moffett said.

Many people questioned why the district would open a new elementary school at a time when it's considering closing others. Developer D.R. Horton built Rancho Rosal Elementary for the school district in the 1,040-home Village at the Park housing community as part of their development deal with the city.

The district has to pay operating and personnel costs, however, which adds further financial burden to the district, Moffett said.

Parents also asked if reconfiguring middle schools would help the district.

Moffett said the committee is considering that option but that middle school enrollment tends to be small and may or may not make much difference.

Moffett wants the issue settled before he leaves in June. He said the district stands a good chance of hiring a superintendent by then if the matter is resolved.

"If I don't get it done, the next person that comes in is not going to even try it," Moffett said.

The district plans to post 711 Committee updates soon at www1.pvsd.k12.ca.us/pvsd/ default.htm.