Schools’ Secrecy

The Simi Valley School District owns several parcels of land. Of particular interest is the property at the northeast corner of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street. That land is reportedly valued at $9 million to $14 million and is the subject of lawsuits as a result of a failed joint-venture effort between the school district and a developer.

The property cannot be disposed of until the lawsuits are resolved, but in spite of this restriction the board entered into discussions with the City Council regarding city interest in the land, including a possible joint venture between the city and the school district.

The board has allowed the superintendent to appoint two board trustees to negotiate with the City Council. Before these appointments, the discussions of the ad hoc committee were open to the public. Now they are not.

To continue these discussions and exclude the public is inappropriate. In 1953, the California Legislature passed the Ralph M. Brown Act to establish parameters to safeguard the rights of the public to be informed and to be involved in discussions and decisions that affect the community.

In view of the board’s exclusion of the community on this and other issues (i.e., school closures, reconfiguration, technology/arts high school), how can we help but conclude that this board has presumed to know what’s good for the people to know? We cannot retain authority over board decisions if we are not given open access to the decision-making process.

At our request, the board has agreed to place this issue on the agenda at the Feb. 14 board meeting, but have stated they will not discuss any aspect of it with the public. This is your opportunity to voice your concerns regarding public participation on these and other important decisions.

SHARON HUSHKA,

DONALD J. HUNT

Simi Valley