Drive to Split Centinela Valley School District Advances

A campaign to split from the Centinela Valley Union High School District advanced Wednesday when a key county agency accepted petition signatures, starting the clock on a complex process that could bring the issue to voters.

The Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization has 60 days to conduct at least one public hearing in the area southeast of Los Angeles International Airport.

Community leaders in the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Wiseburn School District, which includes west Hawthorne and the unincorporated community of Del Aire, believe they can do a better job of providing a high school program than the Centinela district does.

The county committee accepted the petitions after election officials determined that they contained valid signatures from at least 25% of Wiseburn district voters. Before the matter can go to the voters, first the county and then the state must study the proposals. The state Board of Education has final say on whether the matter gets on a ballot.