After weeks of Conejo Valley Unified School District officials pushing the Horizon Hills campus to be the new home for Bridges Charter School, it’s now possible the new school may get what its supporters wanted all along.

On Tuesday night, CVUSD staff recommended that the board offer Bridges the use of Glenwood, Park Oaks or University Elementary School. University is Bridges’ preferred choice.

The first two options are traditional schools and would eventually require displacement of students from their neighborhood schools. However, at least in the first year, enough parents have chosen to move their children and none would be involuntarily relocated.

Although the school board denied the charter’s petition earlier this year, the Ventura County Office of Education approved it, requiring the district to provide facilities that are “reasonably equivalent” in quality and quantity, according to charter law.

CVUSD had previously offered Horizon Hills, home to preschool, parenting and speech classes. But Dep. Superintendent Jeff Baarstad said the costs were too steep. All three options will cost money, in addition to lost state funding for students it will lose to the new charter.

If Bridges moves into Glenwood or Park Oaks, the district would likely spend about $100,000 to lease a portable office and classroom. At Glenwood, there would be an additional $50,000 expense to move another classroom from Park Oaks. At both schools, areas for music, art, computers, homework, a special education learning center and counseling offices would be displaced to accommodate Bridges.

At either school, enrollment would have to be reduced by 30 to 50 students in the first year, but applications for school choice at both schools already exceed 30 for next fall. If Bridges grows to its projected 325 students, more children would need to move. Baarstad said that giving priority choice would hopefully solve the problem, but, if not, boundaries would probably need to be redrawn.

If enrollment outgrows either campus, eventually the Park Oaks or Glenwood portions of the shared campuses could be shut down altogether, said Superintendent Mario Contini.

Bridges’ choice has always been University, and although only a few classrooms are being used this year, all but three are slated to be occupied by fall. CVUSD has already invested $100,000 in the University campus for a long-planned child development center. The preschool program, resource center and child care are expanding, and the special education preschool and speech programs are moving to University from Horizon Hills.

Baarstad estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in construction costs if Bridges opens in University, assuming the district has to reconstruct preschool classrooms elsewhere.

Fifteen parents spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting. They were about equally split in their opposition or support for Bridges.

Parent Sarah Fitzgerald said collocating with another elementary school would be “detrimental to students and staff.”

“It only makes sense to put us (at University), not shoehorn us onto a campus where traditional students and Bridges students will likely conflict,” Fitzgerald said.

There were also claims that local preschools had many openings and a child development center wasn’t needed. Other parents criticized Bridges supporters for obtaining petition signatures in front of grocery stores under the guise that putting Bridges at University would “save taxpayer money.”

“I hope you stop and think how you’ve approached this situation,” said Sue Wells. “Is it about getting exactly what you want, when you want it? Or is it about compromise?”

Baarstad said he had “grave concerns” about how Bridges supporters were gaining support, including visiting Park Oaks and Glenwood schools and causing “anxiety” about them possibly closing in the future. “You would have been better served to stick to the facts and treat us with a little more respect,” Baarstad said. “You may have gotten one over on the people outside of the store, just trying to get their groceries to the car, but you haven’t gotten one over on us.” Baarstad called Bridges’ tactics “disingenuous” and “cynical” and admitted the way they’ve behaved makes it difficult for him to even consider recommending that the board give them what they want—the University campus.

“We have to be careful about being manipulated by small special interest groups,” he said.

Contini also made it clear that the board’s decision will be final, even if threats are made by the Bridges group. The school district would win, Contini predicted, if a lawsuit were to be filed.

The issue is scheduled to be decided at the next CVUSD board meeting on Tues., March 30.