Some Crescenta Valley residents favor forming smaller school district, survey shows

A survey created by the Crescenta Valley Town Council, and posted on its website this week, asks residents whether they feel heard by Glendale Unified school officials, and if they would support separating from Glendale Unified to establish a new, smaller district encompassing the Crescenta Valley.

The impetus for the survey comes with a growing sentiment among some La Crescenta residents that locals are not taken into full consideration by Glendale school officials, said Robbyn Battles, president of the Crescenta Valley Town Council.

“There is not a real strong level of comfort in our community that when we do say things, we are clearly understood and clearly heard,” she said. “There is a growing consensus that it doesn’t really matter to the district what we want or how we want it.”

The survey asks how long residents have lived in the area and if they would support a new district that Battles said would include all elementary and middle schools that feed into Crescenta Valley High School.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 85 people had responded to the survey, with about 65.9% agreeing they liked the idea of “creating our own school district.” However, roughly 15.3% disagreed, and about 16.5% were unsure. A small percentage checked “other.”

In answering the question, “Does GUSD listen to the parents and residents in the Foothills?” about 42.3% of the respondents replied, “No,” while roughly 31.8% answered, “Sometimes” and nearly 6% replied, “Yes.” Also, 17.6% said they are “hardly ever” heard. Again, a small percentage checked “other.”

Battles said the Town Council will review the responses after closing the survey at the end of August.

The council could then potentially look into creating a smaller district, Battles said.

“We would have a stronger voice and more control,” she said.

Christine Walters, president of the Glendale school board, said school officials were aware of the survey, and that while officials understand the sentiment behind it, she said a new district would be “more damaging than helpful” to students.

Within the past few months, the school board has started holding regular meetings with “key leaders from the CV area,” she added, including those involved in the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce and Town Council.

Walters said she and Armina Gharpetian, board vice president, as well as interim Supt. Donald Empey will continue to participate in meetings with La Crescenta representatives to weigh the concerns of the Crescenta Valley community and strengthen communication.

“Having small school districts is very challenging from an administrative and financial point of view, and I would be surprised — if this were fully vetted — if the community would decide this is the right thing to do,” she added.

Residents would need to sign a petition in support of a new district, and it would go before officials with the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization for initial consideration.

If they approve it, the proposal would then go before state officials for them to consider. If it’s OK’d at the state level, it would go before voters in an election, according to guidelines from the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization.

For the moment, however, Battles said the current focus of the Town Council is to gather residents’ thoughts about a new district.

“We are supposed to be voice of the community. You cannot be the voice of anything if you’re not asking for input,” she said. “That’s going to direct us.”