OXNARD : Parents Critical of School Closure Plan

Several of the approximately 200 parents and students of Ramona School who attended a public hearing this week criticized the proposed early closure of the elementary school.

“It’s not fair,” said Javier Luna, who has three children at Ramona in Oxnard’s La Colonia neighborhood. “My children will have to walk more than two miles to Curren School, when Ramona is right by our house. It’s confusing, what they’re talking about.”

Supt. Norman R. Brekke told parents that because of state funding cuts, the district is facing a $2.75-million deficit for the 1991-92 school year.

To save money, the district is proposing to close Ramona School in August, a year earlier than planned. Ritchen School will replace Ramona, but the opening of that school has been delayed by a year because of the October, 1989, San Francisco earthquake.

Brekke said the state Department of Education’s architectural review committee had to review schools in the Bay Area, thus delaying the review of plans for Ritchen.

As a result, the 696 Ramona students will be shifted to Harrington, Rose Avenue, Driffill, Juanita or Sierra Linda schools until the fall of 1992.

Several parents criticized the plan, saying Ritchen School is located in an area of high population growth, and many Ramona School students probably will not be able to attend that school after it opens because of overcrowding.

“I will not be able to say all will go to Ritchen,” Brekke admitted.

In addition, the district wants to change Curren, Juanita and Sierra Linda schools to neighborhood schools for grades K-6 as part of a plan to change attendance boundaries for certain schools in the district. Currently, Curren and Sierra Linda serve kindergarten and grades 4 through 6; Juanita serves K-3.

The district has scheduled 11 parent meetings to discuss the possible changes. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the district will provide information to parents at McAuliffe, Juanita and Sierra Linda schools, respectively.

The board will hold a public hearing May 29 to make its final decision on the proposed changes, including the closure of Ramona School.