I’ve read in your paper that Conejo Valley Unified School District is considering closing Park Oaks Elementary School. I’d like the district to look at more than just pure enrollment numbers when considering the closure. I ask that they consider how this school has operated over the past years where not only the children are educated, but the entire family is supported.

For many years my church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, has worked in conjunction with the school to provide a dinner to each family that needs extra help at the holidays. We’ve had upwards of 60 families needing this help each year.

Our church has also participated in a tutoring program where each Wednesday night at 6 p.m., children and their parents can walk over to the school to receive the extra help needed for their schoolwork.

A few years ago, there was a situation where students were having their eyes tested, and many of them needed eyeglasses. The school reached out to one of our church members who worked with the Kiwanis Club, who supplied the eyeglasses that were needed as the glasses were not affordable by the families of the students.

I worry if these children are dispersed to different schools, how will these services reach the students? Currently Ana Alvarez, the Park Oaks outreach coordinator, organizes these services which are so very needed.

As a parent of a previous University Elementary student, I know how hard the transition to a new school can be. The impact to the students at Park Oaks would be even greater and the transition more difficult, causing an impact on these children as well as the children and staff at the transition schools.

I know this is a difficult time in the history of CVUSD, and I ask that the district look to other methods to cut the budget rather than closing a school that is necessary in our community.
Sheri Groenveld
Thousand Oaks