County Committee to consider unification of Santa Paula school districts
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula News
Published: July 30, 2010
The Ventura County Committee on School District Organization is set to act on the proposed unification of the Santa Paula Elementary School District and the Santa Paula Union High School District.
The committee meets Wednesday, August 11at 6:00 p.m. at the Ventura County Office of Education, Conference and Educational Services Center board room at 5100 Adolfo Road in Camarillo.
The State Board of Education, earlier this month, agreed to exclude three smaller area-districts from the unification process. The Briggs, Mupu and Santa Clara school districts had all requested that they be left out of consideration for unification.
At the August meeting the County Committee will determine whether the proposed reorganization would adversely affect the school district organization pursuant to the Education Code and they will make a determination whether the nine statutory requirements under the Education Code have been substantially met. Those conditions include: the new district will be adequate in terms of the number of pupils enrolled, the districts are each organized on the basis of a substantial community identity, the proposal will result in an equitable division of property and facilities of the original district or districts, the proposed reorganization will continue to promote sound fiscal management and not cause a substantial negative effect on the fiscal status of the proposed district or any existing district affected by the proposed reorganization. Other conditions that must be considered involve education performance, increased state costs and that the unification be primarily designed purposes other than to significantly increase property values.
If the County Committee determines that one or more of the statutory requirements are not met, the Committee may still approve the petition if it determines that it is not practical or possible to apply the criteria literally and that the circumstances with respect to the petition provide an exceptional situation sufficient to justify approval.
If the local committee recommends approval of the unification it will be forwarded to the State Board of Education.
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