April 14, 2004
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District
Board of Education and Dr. Wagner
Re: Proposed Boundary Change
The Community Education Committee met Tuesday, April 13, 2004 as scheduled. Along with our usual members approximately 30-40 angry and heartsick parents attended the Committee meeting.
First and foremost it is the opinion of our Committee that elementary schools should be community schools and all efforts to keep our children close to home should be considered critical to our District and our community.
It was the consensus of the Committee that a formal request to reconsider the boundary change presented by Dr. Wagner at the April 8, 2004 be submitted along with two alternatives to be considered.
In reviewing the enrollment projections for the 2004-05 school year and using the existing boundary, the reconfigured K-5 Agua Dulce School would have an enrollment of 230 students and the K-5 Meadowlark School would have an enrollment of 569 students. (Current enrollment at these schools is 290 and 271 respectively.) With the existing buildings and the partial CSR (Class Size Reduction) planned for next year, Meadowlark School has a capacity to house 400 students. This leaves approximately 169 Acton students that need classrooms.
Alternative #1 - Change the boundary. Agua Dulce School would encompass students west of and including Red Rover Road. This would leave approximately 80-90 of the aforementioned 169 students to be housed at Meadowlark School. It would require relocating 3-4 portable classrooms from the Acton School site.
Alternative #2 - Reopen Acton School. Acton School currently accommodates 470 (3-5) students and has 3-5 empty classrooms available. The Acton School can easily house all of the Acton students. This alternative closes the Meadowlark School instead of the Acton School and allows all of Acton's children to remain in Acton.
Additional considerations include the following:
1 The Committee is not privileged to the exact location of students residing in the district; therefore some of these numbers may vary slightly.
2 Closing Meadowlark School may not be possible as it is a State owned school.
3 Environmental impact mitigation may preclude Meadowlark School from significantly increasing enrollment.
4 Relocation of portable classrooms is a one-time cost.
5 Costs associated with additional restrooms must be considered.
6 Prop 55 may have some funding available for refurbishing.
6 Implement the State Emergency Relocatable Classroom buyout plan.
7 Exercise the State sanctioned increase in Developer Fees.
The decisions made by this Board have grave consequences for our community. It is unconscionable that we continue to operate in the dark without a Strategic Plan or Facility Needs Assessment to guide us. The Board plans to begin discussion about the disposition of the Acton School.
The Committee continues to implore the Board to stop making shortsighted decisions and begin to make the well-informed decisions required of a governing board.
Sincerely, Kathleen M. Howald Community Education Committee, Co-chair
Acton Agua Dulce Education Committee index
Acton Agua Dulce School District
Vanguard News Home page