Advisory board recommends sending unification to vote
State board of education will hear both sides March 13
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

An advisory board has recommended that the California State Board of Education allow voters to decide whether there should be a K-12 school district in Camarillo.

The California State Board of Education, an 11-member body appointed by the governor that sets policy for K12 education, is scheduled to hear arguments from both sides of the contentious issue on March 13.

Its advisory body, the Department of Education, affirmed the December 2006 findings of the Ventura County Committee on School District Organization, a local committee that said a proposal to add high school students to the Pleasant Valley School District met state-set criteria and qualified to go before Camarillo and Somis voters.

But shortly after the committee's approval, two groups- the Oxnard Union High School District and an ad-hoc committee of 11 Camarillo residents- filed separate appeals, which sent the matter to the governing agency for a decision.

The Pleasant Valley School Board has supported the proposal.

"This is an opportunity to have a voice on how we'll be governed educationally," said board President Jennifer Miller.

Miller said whether or not people agree with creating a unified school district in Camarillo, they should agree with the right to voice an opinion.

"I encourage people to vote," she said.

Oxnard and the citizens group have argued that taking out of the district students at Adolfo Camarillo High School and about 800 from Rio Mesa High would result in racial segregation. Oxnard also contends that creating a unified K12 school district in Camarillo would adversely affect the budgets and education programs of both school districts.

In its report to the state board, however, the advisory agency said creating a K-12 Camarillo school district does not promote segregation in Oxnard or Camarillo.

"Promotion of segregation" occurs in a district when there is a change in the minority enrollment from "proportionate to disproportionate," the report said. "OUHSD already is disproportionately minority."

Should it lose Camarillo and Somis students, many of whom are not minorities, Oxnard student population would go from 81 percent minority to 91 percent. The new unified Camarillo school district would be about 44 percent minority, a "proportionate" figure, the report said.

Oxnard trustee Richard Jacquez said although he hasn't had time to thoroughly read the report he thinks the advisory board gave the matter a cursory look and relied more on the local committee's decision for their recommendation.

"I'm not surprised, because they used most of the information for their report from the county board," Jacquez said.

Val Rains, one of the 11 residents appealing to the state board, said she was frustrated with the advisory body's recommendation.

"First of all, I'm disappointed, naturally, because our appeal, I think, was very, very good," said Rains, who added that she has yet to read the state's report in depth.

Jacquez and Rains said they plan to attend the Sacramento meeting next week.

The state board is also expected to decide who will be allowed to vote on unification. The high school district wants the election area extended to Oxnard voters, while the advisory board backs the local committee in wanting to limit it to voters within Pleasant Valley and Somis Union school district boundaries.

Unification proponents say the additional money a unified school district would bring in from the state could boost benefits and salaries for teachers, which rank among the lowest in the county. The teachers union recently rejected Pleasant Valley's offer of a 2 percent increase for salaries and no additional contribution toward benefits.

Opponents, on the other hand, point to a multimilliondollar liability Pleasant Valley would inherit for teachers' retirement if it became a K-12 school district, saying the district isn't prepared. While Oxnard has set aside $30 million for healthcare benefits for current and future retirees, Pleasant Valley hasn't put away any money for its elementary and middle school teachers. Nor has it set aside any funding for the 90 or so high school teachers it would get should the district unify.

"With the (state) budget the way it is, how are they going to be able to pay the bill? I don't know," Jacquez said. "Maybe they have some money in a sack."

California faces a $14.5billion shortfall and anticipates cutting some $5 billion from public education over the next 18 months.