VENTURA : Parents to Be Polled on Basics Plus School

Although Ventura school officials will make any final decisions about a back-to-basics school, district parents and teachers can give their opinions on the matter in a survey to be distributed in January.

The Ventura Unified School District board this week approved surveying all parents of children in kindergarten through fourth grade on the issue.

The proposed school, which officials are calling Basics Plus, would have essentially the same curriculum as other district schools. Parents would have to volunteer at least 12 hours a month at the school.

Also, they would have to sign a contract at the beginning of the year agreeing that their children would abide by school rules, including turning in homework promptly.

Children would also have to wear uniforms.

A main purpose of the parent survey is to measure the level of interest in order to determine which neighborhood schools should be converted.

But none of the questions on the survey directly ask parents whether they want to convert their neighborhood school to the proposed magnet school.

Instead, the survey asks three questions:

* Are the parents interested in the Basics Plus School?

* Would they be willing to commute to another district school using their own transportation?

* Are they interested in the Basics Plus School but unable to provide transportation?

Assistant Supt. Gerald Dannenberg said the district wants to determine how many parents would drive their children to the proposed school if it is not close to their homes.

School officials plan to decide by early February on a location for the proposed school.