SVUSD Mulls Reply to City's School Closure Protest

Saddleback Valley Unified School District officials are mulling how to respond to a Lake Forest City Council request that the district reverse its decision to close Aliso Elementary School, district officials said.

Although the City Council has no say over district decisions, the May 23 letter asked school officials to wait at least a year before closing the campus, citing the state’s improving revenue picture and the planned construction of almost 4,000 new homes in Lake Forest.

"The district will respond to the letter from the city of Lake Forest after the school board has had the opportunity to review the letter," SVUSD spokesperson Tammy Blakely said.

Blakely said the letter was forwarded to the members of the five-person board upon receipt.

A missive with the district's response will be sent back to the council as soon as the board has decided its course of action, Blakely said.

In the city's letter, signed by all five council members, Lake Forest asks the school district to undo its May  to close the school. It asks the district to postpone the closure for a year “to allow for additional evaluation of the fiscal and enrollment issues influencing your decision" and to "provide families with optimal time to prepare for a possible transition.”

The letter notes that construction is slated to begin this fall on the first of almost 4,000 new residential housing units within city limits.

“The new development will not only result in the need to accommodate additional school-age children, it is also expected to generate over $30 million in mitigation fees for SVUSD over the course of project build-out,” reads the letter, addressed to school board President Suzie R. Swartz. “The improved economic outlook, coupled with the approaching residential development boom, underscores the need for a better understanding of school closures in Lake Forest at this time.”

The SVUSD school board to close Aliso at the end of the school year, citing the need to improve the district’s bleak budget outlook and a trend of declining student enrollment. SVUSD has the highest rate of declining enrollment in Orange County, which is costing the district $3.8 million each year.

Closing Aliso would save the district $400,000 a year, district officials say. The 385 students attending Aliso are being reassigned to Olivewood, Rancho Canada and Santiago elementary schools.

The Lake Forest City Council to send its letter to the district after hearing testimony from several parents at Aliso Elementary.

“Many affected parents believe the SVUSD’s school closure process evolved too rapidly and afforded them only minimal opportunities for participation,” the letter said.

Reached by phone before the holiday weekend, Swartz said closing the school was a painful, but necessary, decision.

“It makes sense to save money wherever you can. Saving money on a building makes more sense than raising class sizes,” Swartz said. “These are terrible choices we have to make, but when we look at everything and what our focus has to be, the choice is clear. It’s about serving all the kids and getting the money into the classrooms.”

Swartz said the district has already been forced to make painful cuts, including the hours of librarians, and increasing class sizes. High school counselors are serving 1,200 students each, she said, while teachers have agreed to compensation concessions and are taking unpaid furlough days, she said.

“I know this is really difficult for the families, kids and teachers. It’s difficult for the board. But we have to, everyone has to, stay focused on all 30,000-plus students of this district,” she said. “We’ve got to stay focused on all the kids and delivering the best education possible to all of the kids. That’s the bottom line.”

Swartz also said she thought the school closure process used by the district this year was an improvement over years past. In 2009, the school board voted to close La Tierra and O’Neill elementary schools. The closure of O’Neill was especially contentious, resulting in a failed lawsuit filed by the city of Mission Viejo to prevent the campus' shuttering.

“We used a very objective criteria. Those facts just didn’t change,” Swartz said. “They were much better served by this process than the long, drawn-out process before. I don’t believe we should give out false hope.”

Families at Aliso, Trabuco and Linda Vista first learned their schools were being considered for closure in March. On May 10, at the same meeting at which the board voted to close Aliso, it also designated Trabuco and Linda Vista as "surplus" properties that could be closed and leased out in the future. But Trabuco and Linda Vista will remain open for now.

“I know there’s nothing I can say that’s going to make some people feel better about the school closure process,” Swartz said. “But I can promise that the district is committed to making the transition as smooth as possible.”