Meadows, University elementary schools cited for closure
By Joann Groff  joann@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers 'DON'T CLOSE OUR SCHOOL'--Meadows Elementary School students, from left, Jensen Northrup, Michael Steric, Hayden Luff, Cayley Corridori, Samantha Fagerburg, Kameron Mori, Austin Frabasilio, Tyler Grace and Noah Chess, protest the possible permanent closure of the school before the start of classes on Tuesday.

Meadows and University elementary schools are now the two schools recommended for closure due to declining enrollment in Conejo Valley Unified School District.

The district's Facilities Goals Committee met in a Feb. 20 meeting to review the revised closure criteria after the board decided to exempt Ladera and Maple elementary schools to protect autistic children from the disruption of a move.

The remaining 18 schools were judged on the following revised three criteria: the number of all displaced students, not just resident students, including English-language learners, school-choice kids and children who attend special day classes (SDC); how easily adjacent schools can absorb displaced students; and the distance those students would have to travel to their new school.

After all the criteria were considered, the top eight candidates for closure were named: University, Meadows, Weathersfield, Park Oaks, Wildwood, Acacia, Glenwood and Aspen. Six of these eight schools appeared in the top-eight ranking in the original process.

The committee then judged the eight schools on criteria focused on special day classes and diversity in the district. These criteria include:

•Improvement in distribution of diverse students within the cluster of closed and receiving schools

•The number of receiving schools necessary to accommodate the closed student population and the resulting size of the receiving schools, as well as their remaining capacity to handle future growth in their attendance boundary

•The "reasonableness" of the proposed boundaries in terms of geography, major streets and highways, and parent/student driving/walking distances

•Disruption to SDC programs at the potential closed schools and the issues involved in moving those specific programs.

Jeff Baarstad, deputy superintendent of business services, told a crowd of more than 500 parents at the Feb. 5 meeting that the Facilities Goals Committee would come back with recommendations at the March 4 board meeting.

But instead, the committee released its findings on the district's website after its Feb. 20 meeting.

The committee will make their recommendation to the school board to close Meadows and University elementary schools, but will also offer the option of closing Park Oaks and Weathersfield as third and fourth recommendations.

In a document released by the committee and posted on the website, it's noted that because Meadows, Park Oaks and Weathersfield are all in the Thousand Oaks "east cluster," no more than one of them may be closed.

Meetings at the four schools being considered were held throughout this week.