No move is imminent for the Conejo Valley Adult School's Horizon Hills kindergarten program.

After taking into account the pleas of parents and teachers, Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Superintendent Robert Fraisse, in consensus with the findings of a district ad hoc committee, sent a letter to the school board recommending that the kindergarten program at Horizon Hills be extended for another year (200607) and operate under the district's K-12 program.

The board accepted the proposal.

Fraisse said he felt it fair to give the unique parent-child program another year at its current location while the district seeks solutions to its concerns.

"I believe in having as many options for families as we can, and we think (Horizon Hills) is a good option," Fraisse said. "We're hoping by keeping them on this site, we don't run into any issues that are insurmountable. So far, we've been able to tackle any obstacles put in front of us. Now we'll have another year of experience, and we'll make sure we feel the same way next year."

Fraisse said the response from Horizon Hills' parents when they heard the district was considering either doing away with or moving the program was completely appropriate.

"It was a passionate response, but it was appropriate in terms of its tenor. It was strong, but courteous," the superintendent said.

Parents said they were opposed to the relocation because they felt it would interrupt the smooth transition nearly all Horizon Hills students and their parents now make from their preschool classes to kindergarten.

"I didn't want my child to have to make that transition to a new 'big, scary school' before he had to," said T.O. resident Debbie Miller, who intends on sending her twin sons, Sawyer and Griffin, to kindergarten at Horizon Hills once they complete the preschool program there. "Kids at that age have to deal with enough difficult transitions. . . . I feel the less they have the more secure they feel."

Over the next 12 months, Fraisse said, the district will work toward bringing the school in compliance with policies that govern all schools in the district.

It was these concerns that originally led the district to consider doing away with the program, or at the very least moving it to another site, when Horizon Hills was put under the CVUSD's K-12 program last year. Before that, it had fallen under the realm of adult education.

"The choice policy had to be consistent with choice policies for other schools," Fraisse said. "This program, because it operated under adult education, had some unique policies and practices that were out-of-sync with the district and those had to be brought in line."

One of the first steps will be for director of elementary education Linda Peralta to select a current district principal to oversee Horizon Hills. Next, changes must be made in the school's budget process so it's in line with all other CVUSD kindergarten programs, such as having the district pay for teacher salaries, supplies and other routine costs.

In addition, Fraisse has recommended that all program instructional materials be reviewed in advance by Peralta or her designee, again, to ensure that the program is working toward meeting statewide standards.

Horizon Hills parents and teachers, who underwent a spirited campaign to convince the district that solutions could be reached without moving the kindergarten to a different site, said they were delighted with the decision.

"I'm completely thrilled that the board members and Dr. Fraisse, after we let them know how passionate we were about the program, decided in our favor," said Miller, whose 6-year-old son, Ethan, also went through the preschool and kindergarten programs at Horizon Hills. "I think it's a great decision for the district because this is an incredible program. I wish the district had more schools that offered programs like it."

The Horizon Hills kindergarten program prides itself on being developmentally appropriate and encouraging learning though "hands-on opportunities, social interaction and language-enriching experiences."

The program emphasizes parent involvement, with all mothers and fathers required to spend three days a week at their children's classes helping to provide instruction. The ratio of adults to children is never less than 1-to-5.

According to its website, Horizon Hills' two kindergarten classes "provide generous amounts of uninterrupted time and outdoor space to enable the child to grow both physically and intellectually."

"It's learning by playing, by doing and touching, not just by completing worksheets," Miller said.