Developer Seeks New School Boundaries

The Newhall Land & Farming Co. has petitioned county education officials to move part of a proposed giant housing development from the Castaic school district to the Newhall district, prompting Castaic officials to protest the possible loss of property tax revenues and accuse the development firm of racist motives.

A Newhall Land representative called the charge “absurd,” saying that the company asked for the redistricting to better accommodate the future residents of Newhall Ranch, a massive proposed housing project now being reviewed by county planning officials.

Currently, 80% of Newhall Ranch lies in the Newhall School District, with 2,400 acres north of the Santa Clara River falling within the boundaries of the Castaic Union School District. Newhall has asked county officials to put the latter tract in the Newhall district.

Although the school districts have similar racial compositions, Castaic Trustee Lester Freeman Wednesday accused Newhall Land of trying to shift the area’s children away from schools attended by children in the racially mixed community of Val Verde next door.

“When you make a boundary line and exclude minority children [and] lower-class children and make up a district of a certain class, to me that’s blatant racism,” Freeman charged.

His charge was denied by James Harter, executive vice president of the Newhall Ranch Co., a division of Newhall Land & Farming.

The current division between the two school districts will create confusion among Newhall Ranch residents, who would have to deal with separate schools and district policies, Harter said.

“What we’re trying to do is create a sense of community,” Harter said. “One of the greatest unification themes are the schools.”

Newhall Ranch is believed to be the largest proposed development in the history of Los Angeles County. The 24,700-unit project is expected to be spread over 12,000 acres and add 70,000 people to the Santa Clarita Valley area.

If Newhall Land is successful in having the school boundaries redrawn, educators with the Castaic district say they will lose tax revenues from 4,500 homes slated for construction as well as the chance to develop a student base large enough to create a long-sought unified school district.

Castaic Supt. Alan Nishino said the district will fight to hold its ground.

“It’s dangerous, I think, when you let developers decide how kids are going to be educated,” Nishino said. “I do think it’s dangerous to believe that land developers know more than educators do.”

Pride is at stake, as well. Nishino bristles at what he perceives as a slight to the quality of education in his district.

“I am disappointed that the Newhall Land & Farming Co. thinks that their children won’t get a good education in the Castaic district,” he said.

Although county school officials note that up to four requests are made per year to change the shape of school districts, requests can involve as few as a handful of homes. Proposals from developers are rare, said Marc Forgy, the secretary to the county committee on school district organization.

“We don’t get a lot of these,” Forgy said.

In order for a transfer to occur without controversy, both districts involved would have to agree to the move. If the Castaic district continues to oppose the transfer, the matter could ultimately come up for a vote, Forgy said. However, it remains to be determined exactly who would be allowed to vote on the measure.

Newhall district officials, meanwhile, are taking a neutral position on the issue. But Newhall trustees have already agreed to accept the new students under a $70-million pact signed last year that requires Newhall Land to build up to seven elementary schools to offset the impact of the massive Newhall Ranch development.

Under that plan, trustees agreed to accept the boundary change. But Newhall Supt. Michael McGrath says his district is not trying to take over Castaic’s turf.

“We have no interest in Castaic’s property,” he said. “We have an interest in maintaining our agreement with Newhall Land & Farming.”