Next hearing is Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at Frazier Park School

“I would like to ask the board to vote to table the closing of a school until the new board has been seated and the community can be informed with more specifics about actual projected savings and alternative options.”

—Agenda item submitted by parent Kelly Franti for the ETUSD board’s regular Nov. 14 meeting

By Patric Hedlund

Forty-six parents and members of the community dribbled into the Frazier Park Elementary School cafeteria at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.

They greeted friends and chatted. Among them were teachers and candidates for the school board. One middle school teacher said there are now 42 students in her class. Then the hearing was called to order.

One by one, parents stepped up to tell the El Tejon Unified School District Board of Trustees and Supt. Katherine Kleier a little about their lives.

“This is heaven on earth,” said Jackie Fleming, in her 50s. She said she loved raising her six children here. Four graduated from Frazier Mountain High School. Now her grandchildren are going to school in the district, so she volunteers in the schools often.

Nita Waterhouse has a strong but quiet face. “I have had children in this school district for 24 years,” she said. She and her husband (a retired CHP officer) have eight children.

“We moved up here for the schools, to raise our children here. I still have four in the district—6th, 7th, 9th and 11th grades. All three who’ve graduated here could go to any college they wanted to,” she said. She has been PTSO president many times.

Linda Robredo talked about her six children, including the son who was inspired by the Frazier Mountain High School Robotics Team, “and all the enrichments available when he graduated in 2005, before the market fell across the country and things began to change.” Now she has a son in 9th grade, in his first year at the high school. “He is an ‘A’ student. He is happy and adjusting well,” she said.

That is how they began their talks, but then each of them moved in a little closer to ask tough questions of the trustees. Many have read the consultants’ report that proposes to close El Tejon School.

“The bottom line looks to be saving about $100,000 by mothballing historical buildings, keeping K-6 on this overcrowded [Frazier Park School] campus and moving the 7th and 8th grades to the portables at the high school,” Robredo said. “Is that really going to make the difference? Is this going to hire teachers that are not going to be pink-slipped because they have an opinion? Is that money going to fund longterm permanent aides in our classrooms and lower our class sizes?”

Dean Crabb told the outgoing trustees, “The people who are here are begging you guys not to do this…They are all saying they are willing to help. Just give us financials that make sense.”

Parents asked the outgoing board to table the vote about closing a school until after four new trustees are elected Nov. 6.

Another hearing will be held on November 7 at 7 p.m., also at Frazier Park School.

[See previous report about the consultants’ report]

This is part of the November 02, 2012 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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