Point Mugu Schools Could Adapt to Influx on Base

Lending support to a plan to bring 16 radar planes to Point Mugu Navy base, Ocean View Elementary School District officials on Thursday said they are prepared to handle the corresponding influx of students from military families.

At a news conference at Ventura County Supervisor John K. Flynn’s south Oxnard office, Ocean View officials maintained that they have room to handle about 150 new students, the number they project will enroll in their district if the E-2C Hawkeye radar planes are moved to Ventura County next year.

Navy officials believe the relocation would cause more than 400 students to enroll in several local school districts, possibly crowding some of them.

But officials at Ocean View, which is closest to Point Mugu, said they have lost about 200 students from military families in recent years as Navy downsizing has taken effect. That has left plenty of room for new students, they said.

Moreover, Ocean View officials said they will work on a plan with the Oxnard Elementary School District--and possibly districts in Camarillo, Ventura and Port Hueneme--to make sure new students are placed in schools with the most room.

Flynn and school officials called the meeting to emphasize their belief that the relocation of the planes would bolster Point Mugu against future threats of closure. And the influx of families with military jobs would boost the local economy, they maintained.

“This is a happy challenge,” said Dennis Schlotfelt, an Ocean View district trustee. “If they were pulling wings out, we’d be in a world of hurt.”

Added Ocean View trustee Paul Chatman: “The word ‘impact’ always sends a message that there will be a flood nobody can handle. . . . We have room in our school district for more students.”