Board to Consider Transfer Proposal

Families unhappy with programs at two Conejo Valley campuses could get higher priority in the school choice program under a proposal that trustees will consider Thursday.

The proposal would give preference to parents who want to opt out of Meadows Elementary’s “meaning-based learning” program or Newbury Park High School’s block-scheduling, in which classes are one hour and 25 minutes each instead of the usual 45 minutes.

For three years, the Conejo Valley Unified School District has offered a form of school choice: Students who live within a school’s boundaries get dibs on attending that school, but any extra slots can be filled by students from elsewhere in Thousand Oaks.

Under the proposal, students at Newbury Park and Meadows would get preference for extra slots. This could be particularly important because class-size reduction and growing enrollment have slashed the number of spaces left for school choice, according to the proposal from Supt. Jerry Gross.

Typically, about 1,200 parents submit school-choice applications each year. Of those applications, 85% to 90% are approved, he said.

The school board will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the board room of district headquarters, 1400 E. Janss Road.