I'm the parent of child at Banyan Elementary School in Newbury Park.

Although Banyan isn't on "the list" for possible closure, I'm deeply concerned for schools in Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) that are.

My son is in fifth grade and is one of 36 students in his class. While I've never heard his teacher complain, one can only imagine what it's like to try to provide workable lesson plans and relevant assignments for 36 10- and 11-year-old children.

Since kindergarten has become a fullday program, the recess and lunch schedules at Banyan have been necessarily modified to accommodate additional students. The result is that on rainy days- - when the children can't eat lunch outside- - there are as many as 241 students crammed into the cafeteria during the last lunch period.

I realize that the district is dealing with decreased funding resulting from declining enrollment, however, closing schools and dispersing students into already overburdened campuses isn't a viable solution.

How many portable classrooms can be installed before the children lose their playground entirely? And common areas such as the cafeteria, parking lot and front office cannot feasibly be expanded to accommodate increased enrollment.

CVUSD simply must find a way to tighten its belt and keep all of its elementary schools open.

Perhaps a few of the offices at the district headquarters could be consolidated. If 36 children and one teacher can work together in the same room, maybe some of the district office employees could pair up, thus reducing the cost of heating, air conditioning, lighting and custodial services.

It might be possible for the district to lease unused property

- PLEASE SEE PAGE 5 or sell unneeded equipment and/ or vehicles. I've also observed that the procedure for recruiting classified personnel (nonteaching positions) entails a testing process that seems rather inefficient. Eligibility lists are only maintained for one year, after which time the applicant must repeat the test. A classroom teacher only needs to pass the California basic educational skills test once. Shouldn't an office clerk also be considered eligible for employment having passed the examination once?

Future CVUSD board meetings should focus on how to keep our schools open rather than on which ones to close. Wendy Worman Newbury Park