Application for New School Withdrawn

Oxnard school district officials have withdrawn their application for the Juan Laguna Soria School site on 14 acres of farmland.

The district and the city of Oxnard made the move pending completion of an environmental safety study of the site by a consultant paid for by the district, said Supt. Richard Duarte.

“The city has pulled the application because of the confusion surrounding the issue,” Duarte said. “There has been a lot of misinformation and half-truths. We feel that it is better that we deal with the preliminary assessment at this time, clear up any confusion and prove, once and for all, that this site is safe.”

Officials with the Local Agency Formation Commission have recommended that approval not be granted for building the school on the farmland.

The proposed Juan Laguna Soria School, which district officials say is needed to relieve overcrowding at elementary school campuses, has spurred controversy since it was first proposed more than a year ago.

Environmentalists and farmers have opposed the Soria site, saying that the use of the pesticide methyl bromide on strawberry farms near the proposed school is dangerous to students. Others are concerned about the loss of farmland.

Concerns expressed by Everett Millais, LAFCO executive director, and former executive director Arnold Dowdy about the Soria site are based on concerns over loss of agricultural land. The officials also pointed out that other sites within the city could be used to build a new school campus.