Blame trustees when good schools are forced to close

Whether you have children in a public school system or not, you may be familiar with the Blue Ribbon designation. The Blue Ribbon award is presented annually to a handful of schools nationally, and less than 3 percent of all schools in this country have been graced with this recognition.

Conejo Valley Valley Unified School District is proud to be the home to several of these schools, where most districts would be proud to have just one or two.

Recently, after what seemed like a thorough process, the Conejo Valley board of education voted 3-2 to close two of the district's Blue Ribbon schools.

While the move on paper may seem necessary due to budgetary issues, it just doesn't add up in the end. When a major department store needs to close some of its stores, does it close the best performers? When the military decided to close bases a few years ago, did it close the best ones?

The three dissenting members of the board are simply out of touch with reality in voting to support this. Later this year, you will have the opportunity to change things by voting out Ms. Didio and Ms. Beaubien, who both supported the closure of these nationally recognized educational institutions.

In fact, it's conceivable that by voting for the right candidates, these two schools can be saved.

It's up to the registered voters of the Conejo Valley to do the right thing, and ensure that Ms. Didio and Ms. Beaubien aren't reelected later this year. Stephen Levine Thousand Oaks