Strong asset

For more than 30 years, we have had an open-philosophy school in this community. The school was known as Bedford Open School until five years ago when it became Los Senderos Open School. My husband and I moved to Camarillo because of the excellent reputation of that school. We have not been disappointed during the eight years our children have attended this school.

People always ask: "What is an open-philosophy school? What does that mean?" Every person at our school will give you a different answer, and that, in essence, is the answer.

The uniqueness of each student at the school is embraced and used in the teaching process. Teachers teach their lessons so that they reach students across a variety of learning styles.

Not all the students are expected to learn the same material in the same way. Each of my twins learns in a different way. One is visual and one is tactile. They are in the same class and both are excelling in all areas. This is just one of the many things that makes the open-philosophy school stand out and shine.

The open school operated by Pleasant Valley School District has been closed again and has an uncertain future for the fall. However, parents at the school, not wanting to lose this outstanding program, have filed a charter application for a kindergarten- through-eighth-grade open-philosophy school, to be known as the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education, to open in the fall. This school will bring back to Camarillo a true open-philosophy school with a bright future ahead of it. It will be a strong asset to the community as Bedford Open School once was.

I urge the school board to approve this application as quickly as possible so the community can move forward with plans for educating their children next school year.

Denise Sobolik,Camarillo

Charter only option

I am a grandparent of a student in fourth grade at Los Senderos Open School. It has been a wonderful environment for her since kindergarten, and we were looking forward to her continuing there through eighth grade. The teachers, staff and parents are all dedicated to the philosophy of the open school, which will not be duplicated anywhere else within the district.

I was deeply disappointed, to say the least, by the Pleasant Valley School District board's decision to move Los Senderos to Rancho Rosal and eliminate the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

I believe the board was pressured by Superintendent Ken Moffett and the district staff to make a hasty decision without enough study to prove that this will save the district money to increase teachers' salaries.

On the contrary, that decision and the decision to eliminate the upper grades at Santa Rosa School will cost the district money because of the number of disgruntled parents who will put their children in private schools or home-school them. I feel the board has no idea of the ramifications of its decision.

For many parents of students at Los Senderos, a charter school is the only option to maintain the open philosophy that drew them to Los Senderos in the first place. Rancho Rosal is not committed to that philosophy, as was obvious when my daughter attended a meeting there with school staff.

My granddaughter needs an open K-8 environment, and the charter school is the only thing that will give her that.

I hope the board will work with the charter, the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education, to speed this process along.

Bonnie Miller,Camarillo

Open CAPE

I am a mother of four children. I am asking for my daughter to be considered for Dos Caminos School or El Descanso until the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education charter school is opened. She now attends Los Senderos and we are very disappointed that her school will be closing.

I do not want her to go to Rancho Rosal or the new neighbor school, Los Primeros. I am considering home-schooling her until the charter school opens, if she doesn't get accepted into Dos Caminos or El Descanso. I truly believe that CAPE will benefit Camarillo and those children who are being displaced. I am asking, as a concerned parent, to consider opening CAPE so that there will no children left behind or displaced.

Roberta Henson,Camarillo