Good job

In what is an ongoing stream of graduations from area high schools this week, one valedictorian told the story of a fabulously wealthy diamond mine, and of how the original owner sold the land, unaware of its value, because he was obsessed with wealth and wanted to leave his roots to seek his fortune. That man died destitute and alone.

The young lady said that the moral of the story is that we are all standing on our own diamond mines, and simply have to look down and recognize the opportunities being presented to us to succeed in life.

This week, the board of the Conejo Valley Unified School District looked down and saw the diamonds. With the very real threat that state funding will be dramatically reduced to area schools, the board voted to establish a foundation to collect donations and establish long-term, capital generating trust funds to ensure that Conejo Valley children continue to receive that quality of education needed so that they, too, will someday be standing on their own diamond mine—or have the tools necessary—to find happiness.

The foundation isn’t a new concept, but it is one that took foresight and courage to create. With community backing, it should ensure that students continue with arts programming, that class sizes will not have to be increased and that classroom materials will be forthcoming.

It’s the second time in the past weeks that the school board has made a courageous decision. It recently approved a Boys and Girls Club to be constructed on one of its middle school campuses. It was a hard decision to make, as the issue faced stiff resistance. However, with community leaders such as the police chief and school district superintendent saying it would be of great value to area children, the board took the high road and voted to approve.

It’s leaders such as these that allow area residents such a high quality of life. The school board is to be commended for not deserting its roots, and protecting its students.