State to hear appeals to district's bid for unification
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

A state board will hear two appeals when deciding whether it will endorse a county committee's decision that voters should decide whether there should be a K-12 school district in Camarillo.

The State Board of Education said on Wednesday it will hear an appeal signed by 11 Camarillo residents. The board is now expected to hear that appeal in July at the same time it hears one made by the Oxnard Union High School District on the local committee's ruling.

"I'm thrilled, because it still demonstrates the right of our citizens to appeal, and those rights can be upheld," said Val Rains, a resident who signed the appeal.

Rains and Sherry Cole, another petitioner, were in Sacramento for the midweek meeting.

"We were, of course, exceedingly pleased that the state board upheld our right to appeal and moved it forward for further study," Cole said.

The residents said in their appeal that moving Camarillo and Somis high school students out of the Oxnard Union High School District would promote racial segregation.

The Oxnard school district said in its appeal that Oxnard residents should be allowed to vote if the issue does go to the ballot.

Oxnard district officials also said Pleasant Valley School District's move for unification would promote racial segregation and negatively impact the schools' budgets and overall curricula.

The state board's ruling, however, came as no surprise to Pleasant Valley school board members Patty Lerner and Sandra Berg, who both attended the meeting.

Lerner said she appreciated the time the board took to explore the issues raised in the appeal.

"It wasn't just a rubber stamp," Lerner said. "They discussed it and really looked at it."

"We looked at it as an educational opportunity for the state board," Berg said.