OXNARD : Trustees Delay Evaluation Proposal

Trustees with the Oxnard Elementary School District have decided to delay a discussion on a proposal to hire an outside company to evaluate district operations.

The board of trustees voted Wednesday night to wait until its next meeting to discuss the possibility of assessing every department, including the superintendent’s office, personnel and special education.

Trustee Susan Alvarez said she voted to postpone the discussion because Sandra Herrera, who is in charge of the district’s business and fiscal services, did not attend the meeting.

“I don’t think we can discuss spending money unless Sandra is present,” Alvarez said. “We need to know from her if the district can afford to spend money on such a study.”

Herrera was absent because of a family emergency, school officials said.

If approved, the evaluation would be the first such performance review for the district, which has about 13,000 students. The project could cost up to $6,600.

Teachers who attended the meeting said they were disappointed that they could not express their opposition to the proposal.

“If there were a lot of unrest and complaints from parents and students [about how the school is run], I certainly would support” the evaluation, said Myrna Abdel-Gawad, a teacher at Curren School. “But none of that is happening.”

The board is scheduled to review the proposal, suggested by Trustee Arthur Lopez, at its June 7 meeting.