The Sagebrush Petition Controversy

We are the parents of two girls, one who attends Mountain Avenue School and one who we hope will attend Mountain Avenue one day. When we bought our house in La Crescenta several years ago, we specifically investigated the schools our children would attend because it was of utmost importance to us. We have been quite upset over the Sagebrush petition controversy and the fact that some parents in the Sagebrush area are now complaining that their children cannot attend La Canada schools (Times, March 12).

If schools in that district were so important to them, why didn’t they bother to take the time to ensure that their children would be able to attend those schools when they purchased their houses? Should they now be able to cause trouble and disruption for the children and families of Mountain Avenue and the surrounding school areas because of their original lack of due diligence? Where does the responsibility for their own predicament lie?

Just as importantly, the Sagebrush petitioners’ rallying cry of “community identity” falls flat under the weight of even minimal scrutiny. How can the attendance of La Canada public schools be so important to the Sagebrush petitioners’ community identity, particularly in a La Canada Flintridge area where private schools far outnumber public schools and where apparently La Canada Flintridge families outside the Sagebrush area shun their Sagebrush counterparts merely because their children attend admittedly excellent schools bordering La Canada Flintridge. One would think that Sagebrush parents would only wish to have a community identity with people who didn’t care what school their child attended.

What kind of statement does this all make about the community identity of La Canada? Not a very pretty one. On the other hand, as one gentleman testified at the Palm Crest hearing, at least the La Canada Flintridge politicians don’t forget about their Sagebrush residents during election time.

When will the Sagebrush petitioners end their unfortunate and wasteful effort so that we can all go back to focusing on our children’s education, something which it appears the petitioners have relegated to the back of the classroom?

BRUCE SALTZER

LORI WALDINGER

La Crescenta