Fine with OUHSD

As a parent and voter in this community, I was skeptical of the unification vote. However, after watching our district's behavior of recent and reading in your paper about the squandered dollars spent, I find I am now vehemently against it.

When I attended my child's back-to-school night at Camarillo Heights Elementary, I was shocked at the plethora of pro-unification handouts spread out all over the auditorium. As an involved parent, I know that that is against district regulation. I called the state Board of Education and found that it violates education codes 7054-7058. If political propaganda is handed out on school grounds, both sides of the issue have to be represented.

I wrote to Dr. Luis Villegas' office and my complaint fell on deaf ears. The board is also holding forums for teachers on school grounds with only its side of the issue being presented as well. (Monte Vista on Sept. 15.) I have children in both this district and at Rio Mesa. I have survived the school-closing debacle and now fear for the end of my child's healthy education.

I cannot bear the thought of him attending high school at a makeshift facility like they plan to have at Los Altos. They plan on overcrowding Camarillo High to 3,200 students using portables and putting all the children west of Lewis Road at Los Altos High! That information is on its Web site and that is what unifying our district is going to look like!

I would rather have OUHSD build the high school here next to the library and our children remain in their schools during the transition. I am fine with it running the high schools.

Rio is offering the International Baccalaureate program now, which only 2 percent of the high schools in the U.S. have. We have facilities for two academic and sports programs at two high schools now, not one, plus a junior high made into a high school. This board bungled the school closures and now these same people are running for the unified district seats.

They have no respect for the Education Code and I am supposed to trust them to put my child's education as their top priority? I don't think so.

— Michelle Carvalho,

Camarillo

Unification issues remain

Approximately 10 years ago, I was appointed by the Pleasant Valley School District board to serve on a committee to study the feasibility of unification of the Pleasant Valley School District, a K-8 district, into a K-12 district.

This committee spent countless hours studying the issues that unification would present. After several meetings, it became evident that several members had formed their ideas from the start that the district should unify. The group for unification decided to break away and have its own meetings.

Now, after all these years, there remain many unanswered questions. One unanswered question is: With Adolfo Camarillo High School already crowded, where will we put the overflow of students? At present, more than 750 students attend Rio Mesa High School who will need to be housed in the new district.

It appears that those who favor unification would have them attend high school in a makeshift, converted middle-school facility. In a very important time in the lives of our young people, they will be treated as second-class citizens. This may be their one chance for an education. Many do not go on to college.

The Camarillo community joined with the Oxnard Union High School District to pass a bond to cover the cost of building two new high school buildings, one in Oxnard and one in Camarillo. The land purchased for the proposed high school in Camarillo still stands empty. Why did those for unification not spend all the time and effort to pressure the Oxnard Union High School District into building our high school? There would be ample time in the future to unify, and we would have a nice high school for our students.

I have lived here since 1963, and it saddens me to see how this issue of unification has separated it into two factions. All the bickering and fighting only hurts the children we are trying to protect and educate.

Citizens of Camarillo and Somis: Please inform yourselves of all the true facts of unification, pro and con, and vote in November to get the best we can for our young people.

— Lois Grooms,

Somis

New board, same faces

Re: Christine Elliott's Sept. 24 letter, "Measure U about future":

Just in case Elliott is unaware of the fact, three of the existing Pleasant Valley School District board members are running for these proposed new school board seats. These same people will continue to make the same poor choices on a unified school district board as they have for years on Pleasant Valley School District. History does repeat itself!

Make all of our children's education a priority. Vote no on Measure U.

— Kelly Ogg,

Camarillo