Time to combine school districts


While the rigors of confinement may have tested our nerves, it has also helped us focus on the important things in life.

My solitary life has had me thinking about education and how we have let our egos seep into the future of our kids. With cuts to funding and a populous that is strapped even tighter, this might be a good time to think outside of the box.

Several years ago the Las Virgenes school district funded a pricey study to determine ways to save money. The result was a recommendation to combine the Las Virgenes and Oak Park districts. I can only assume that this option was shot down due to what would be a loss of jobs at the upper-management level.

So what would a merged school district look like?

With mandated reduced class sizes, Oak Park might be able to fill their overbuilt, non-sustainable District of Choice facilities with local kids, reducing the traffic and wear and tear on our infrastructure that this program has created.

Imagine the Kanan Shuttle transporting local residents as opposed to the kids that were transported here by individual cars from places far away. I won’t start on the traffic nightmare that this DOC has created.

Las Virgenes could use the larger pool to focus on sports and the arts instead of trying to pull superstars from other places. It would allow for some of their surplus property to be shared instead of stored.

A combined district would help us work together instead of trying to one-up each other.

I know this is a long shot, but all options must be considered. This wouldn’t bring in more money per pupil that our districts seem dependent on, but we can’t continue to throw money at a process that isn’t working.

Dani Brusius
Oak Park