SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Regional Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN ORANGE, RIVERSIDE, SAN BERNARDINO AND VENTURA : Purchase of Land for New School Studied

Elementary school district officials said Monday that they are considering the purchase of agricultural land behind Oxnard High School to build a new intermediate school.

Building a campus on the property between Patterson Road and Victoria Avenue would solve a long-standing controversy over what to do with the land, currently owned by the Oxnard Union High School District.

It also might create more conflict.

Although school districts are exempt from recently passed “save open space” and agricultural resources initiatives, local farmers oppose school construction on farmland.

Nancy Koch, board president for the high school district, said selling the land--which is being used to farm row crops--would be a good idea.

“We’re not farmers or growers and there is no reason that we would expand [Oxnard High School] over there,” Koch said. “If it can be of use to the elementary district, I would think that would be the best use for it.”

But high school district Supt. Bill Studt said the district is not eager to sell the land, which it bought for about $2.1 million in 1992.

“It depends on the price,” he said. “We’re not going to give it away. We’ll just have to wait and see.”