MATES proposal may be heard on Monday

The Ventura County Board of Education may make a decision on Mon., Oct. 27 about whether it will support a proposed charter school in Thousand Oaks.

When Conejo Valley Unified School District's board decided last year to shutter two elementary schools in 2009, parents from one of the schools—Meadows—formed a protest group, arguing that their specialized arts curriculum was a draw to the district. After losing the battle to keep their neighborhood school open, they pushed for a magnet school, a request that was also denied, although the board did approve a magnet at Manzanita.

The group then put together a charter for MATES (Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary School), which was denied by the district before moving to the county for possible approval.

The county board is expected to decide at its meeting Monday at 6 p.m. in the Ventura County Office of Education Conference and Educational Services Center board room at 5100 Adolfo Road in Camarillo.

—Joann Groff