The California District of Choice designation obtained by Oak Park Unified School District in 2004 went into full swing in 2010, the biggest single factor affecting OPUSD’s survival during the past year.

Out-of-district students attending Oak Park schools on permit amounted to one-third of the student body. The District of Choice designation helped Oak Park Unified increase its revenues by making it easier for out-of-district students to enroll. Public schools are funded by the state based on the size of enrollment.

The additional $8 million generated from transfer students was offset by $4.7 million in expenses, leaving $3.3 million in additional revenue, or 12 percent of the total budget.

Some Oak Park residents were resentful of the outside student influx, saying the increased traffic at drop-off and pickup times is dangerous and that the families of students on permit do not share in the added expenses of a parcel tax and bond measures shouldered by Oak Park residents.

In September, the school board capped out-of-district transfers at 35 percent of the student population.

Oak Park Unified earned the top rank in standardized public school test scores for 2010. The district was the highest performing school district in Ventura County and among the top districts in California, based on the Academic Performance Index. API scores say how well students perform on California standards testing, called STAR. All Oak Park schools scored at 900 or above, exceeding the benchmark score of 800.

In November, voters elected Marie Panec to the school board for a third term. Newcomers Allen Rosen and Mary Pallant were also elected, replacing longtime school board members Cindy Vinson and Mary Rees, who announced earlier in the year that they would be retiring from the panel.

As the year drew to a close, the California School Boards Association gave the Oak Park district a Golden Bell Award in recognition of its environmental awareness programs.

State officials also named Medea Creek Middle School a “School to Watch” for a sixth consecutive year. The program identifies high-performing schools that demonstrate academic excellence and respond to the needs and interests of adolescents.