Decision expected on school closures later this month
By Joann Groff  joann@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers   SIGNS OF PROTEST--Park Oaks Elementary School kindergartner Crystal Lucio, 5, and her mom, Juana, carry signs on a protest walk from the school to the school board meeting at the T.O. High School Performing Arts building on Tuesday. Hundreds of families and children came from Aspen, Weathersfield, Meadows, University and Park Oaks elementary schools to voice opposition about the potential closing of their schools.

Conejo Valley Unified School District's school board will likely vote on the two elementary schools to be shut down at its next meeting on Tues., March 18, board members said on Tuesday night.

Last week, the Facilities Goals Committee released news that Meadows and University elementary schools would be its top two candidates for closure, but the committee didn't officially make the recommendation to the board until the meeting earlier this week.

After the primary criteria were applied to 18 of the 20 elementary schools--Maple and Ladera are exempt because of their expansive autism programs
--the top eight candidates were ranked: University, Meadows, Weathersfield, Park Oaks, Wildwood, Acacia, Glenwood and Aspen.

Jeff Baarstad, deputy superintendent of business services, revealed the scores and a pro-con list for each of the top eight.

Closing University would improve diversity, wouldn't displace any Special Day Classes and would have good enrollment balance and size.

Among the limited cons were an increase in traffic on Lynn Road and the displacement of a preschool program on the campus.

Meadows' pros included improvement of diversity, good utilization, enrollment and size balance.

Cons included the fact that the school is home to two SDC classes and more students would have to cross the 23 Freeway. Eighty-one displaced Meadows students would go to Glenwood, 159 to Park Oaks and 31 to Conejo.

Many parents spoke in favor of establishing Meadows as an art-magnet school as a way to attract the children of new families.

Trustee Tim Stephens asked Baarstad if there had been any discussion about the fact that the three suggested receiving schools for Meadows are all Title I schools.

"Tons," Baarstad replied. "We thought about closing Park Oaks or Glenwood even though they didn't score as high, but because the parents there aren't threatening to leave the system."

Some parents coughed loudly or cheered to imply that they would pull their kids from Conejo Valley Unified School District.

One speaker, Meadows parent Heather Moloian, said they had taken a poll and claimed that 140 families- more than 90 percent- said they wouldn't stay in CVUSD.

More than 250 speaker cards were submitted, but after four and a half hours of testimony and 70 two-minute speeches, board president Dorothy Beaubien ended the public comment portion of the meeting.

Perhaps the most celebrated speaker was the first, Thousand Oaks resident Carol O'Berle, who received a standing ovation for proposing a tax increase from 7.25 to 7.5 percent in the city to stop schools from closing.

"That could raise $6 million to $7 million for our school district," O'Berle said. "There are people here who really care about our schools. The state of California is not going to send us any money. We can do it ourselves."

Baarstad said he would put together some information on what the district would need to do to get a tax-generating proposal on the ballot and have it ready to present at the next board meeting.