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Unification may be possible |
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SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Perris Elementary and Menifee Union might be able to afford it, a report finds.
By LEEZEL TANGLAO
The Press-Enterprise
A revised draft of a study that determined the affordability of the last remaining non-unified school districts in Riverside County becoming kindergarten through 12th grade districts found that Menifee Union and Perris Elementary school districts may be able to afford unification.
It also found that unification of all four elementary districts into four unified districts would not be possible at this time.
The study was commissioned by Menifee Union, Nuview Union, Romoland, Perris Elementary and Perris Union High School districts and performed by the quasi-state agency Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team.
The study looked only at the financial impact if all four elementary school districts unified on their own and if the K-8 Menifee Union School District annexed Paloma Valley High School in Menifee from Perris Union High School District.
Menifee would inherit about $36 million in debt if the district broke away from Perris Union.
The study's findings did not surprise Menifee Union board president Fred Twyman.
"It doesn't change the end result. Menifee could afford to unify," said Twyman, who is a math teacher at Paloma Valley High School. He has said in the past that even with the debt, unification is possible.
Twyman said he was upset that the latest draft of the study changed wording that Perris Elementary and Menifee Union ability to "would be" able to afford to unify, instead saying they "may be" able to afford to unify.
If Menifee were to take control of Paloma Valley High School, the study recommended making about an estimated $917,500 in repairs and maintenance upgrades.
The study also cited a 2004 unification study that recommended the district do an analysis to determine how unification might affect racial and ethnic demographics.
Financial affordability is just one of nine criteria school districts need to fulfill for the unification process. Among the other criteria are not increasing costs to the state, maintaining enrollments and not promoting racial or ethnic segregation.
"It gives us a game plan. It gives us a chance to see where we are at," said Joe Daughtery, board member with Perris Union High School. "It's a template."
For the Perris Elementary School District, the study cautioned officials to look into how unification might affect the district's eligibility for financial-hardship status in the state's School Facilities Program.
As in the previous draft, Romoland and Nuview Union were not recommended to move forward in the unification process.
Romoland does not have enough students to cover operational costs and Nuview Union doesn't have the students or the facilities to support high schools.
"We're not ready yet," said Bruce Dennis, board president of Nuview Union, which has more than 1,800 students. "We'll unify when we are."
District officials from the high school and elementary feeder districts said they are working with the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team to set up public workshops to discuss the findings of the study.
Menifee Union plans to hold its workshop 6 p.m. March 6 at Evans Ranch Elementary School in Menifee.
Reach Leezel Tanglao at 951-375-3728
http://www.pe.com/localnews/hemet/stories/PE_News_Local_H_
unify06.26783bf.html
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