Classes reopen for the new school year in CVUSD

Classes in Conejo Valley Unified School District got underway today for the 22,400 students enrolled in the district’s 20 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools and two alternative high schools.

District enrollment stayed close to last year’s level, with about 150 more students, said Dr. Robert Fraisse, superintendent of schools.

Fraisse said the district hired about 100 new teachers to replace those who retired or are taking a leave of absence.

At two high schools newly hired teachers were needed to accommodate higher enrollment. At Newbury Park High School, 17 new teachers were added to the faculty because enrollment hovers around 2,200, about 200 more students than last year, said Athol Wong, assistant principal.

Portable classrooms were added at Westlake High School to accommodate the 150 or so more students attending this year. And enrollment is expected to continue climbing over the next few years, said Richard Urias, assistant principal. Urias said the district plans to begin building permanent classrooms in a couple of years in preparation for that increase.

Westlake High hired 20 new teachers, more than half of them because of growing enrollment, said Urias. In addition, a parttime counselor was added to help English learners and struggling students.

“As we grow, we want to be sure to catch kids so they won’t fall through the cracks,” said Urias.

Although enrollment numbers remain about the same at Thousand Oaks High School, 14 new teachers were hired and three administrators added to the faculty. Personnel changes there include Tim Carpenter, who is principal, replacing Jo-Ann Yoos, now the assistant superintendent of personnel for the district; Beth Bryan, dean of attendance; Brian Crain, assistant principal of instruction; and Jason Klinger, assistant principal of athletics.

Changes throughout the district include three new Newbury Park elementary school principals: Jeanne Valentine at Cypress, Jennifer Boone at Manzanita and Christina Palmer at Maple. Luis Lichtl is principal at Redwood Middle School in Thousand Oaks.

Fraisse said another change will be greater consistency in classroom instruction among the district’s schools. Teachers will be using curriculum that’s more in line with state standards, so that all fourth-grade classes, for example, will be learning similar subjects around the same time.

“Morale is good throughout the organization,” said Fraisse, summing up the start of the school year. “Parent participation is at an all-time high. . . . There really are no negatives.”