BY
VOLNEY DUNAVAN - DUNAVAN@NETPTC.NET
MADERA — After
modest but impassioned discussion, the Madera County Committee on
School District Organization voted unanimously to retain the proposed
composition of the Board of Trustees for the recommended merged
Yosemite/Coarsegold School District at seven members.
This would be one trustee from each of the original elementary school
districts “feeding” students to Yosemite High School (Bass Lake,
Wasuma, Coarsegold, Oakhurst and Raymond-Knowles) with two additional
trustees from Coarsegold, the fastest-growing population center
in Eastern Madera County.
According to Oakhurst resident Joe Smith, the proposed trustee composition
is not representative of the taxpayers within the new district.
“Coarsegold has been given virtual control over the high school.”
Because of community concerns, the county committee decided to revisit
the issue of board composition but delayed any action pending a
local compromise suggestion from the combined existing Coarsegold
and Yosemite boards. Again, according to Mr. Smith, they were not
able to arrive at agreement but did come up with a compromise to
hopefully assuage Ahwahnee, Bass Lake and Oakhurst citizens.
Speaking before the committee were Tom Allcock, superintendent of
the Raymond-Knowles School District and member of the Yosemite Joint
Union High School District Board of Trustees; Mr. Smith; Curt Campbell,
chair of the Unification Committee; Priscilla Pike, president of
the Yosemite Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees;
Sue O’Connor of the Coarsegold Union School District Board; and
Bill McCabe, superintendent of the Yosemite Joint Union High School
District.
The Unification Committee came up with a compromise board of trustees
to offer the Madera County committee, consisting of two trustees
from Coarsegold, two from Oakhurst, one from Raymond-Knowles, and
two at-large. Superintendent McCabe and others indicated their support
of the effort of the Unification Committee to be willing to look
at yet another suggested composition. This still was viewed by many
as not being representative.
As mentioned in a Sierra Star article [12/19/03 “Contentious decision
on school board merger”], some Bass Lake and Oakhurst residents
were concerned about not having a fair representation on the proposed
board. Mr. Smith’s concern was that the proposed Board of Trustee
composition may well put the vote for unification at risk.
In a second separate committee action, a complicated formula was
passed to provide for the staggering of terms of office for the
newly- formed district’s board of trustees. During the election,
the voters will be asked if the two school districts, Yosemite and
Coarsegold, should merge and if so, a vote will be asked on candidates
for the board and their terms of office.
The new trustees would stagger as follows. From the Raymond-Knowles
Union School District, there would be one trustee with a four-year
term. From the Coarsegold Union School District there would be three
trustees. The top vote recipient would have a four-year term and
the next two highest would each have two-year terms.
From the Bass Lake, Oakhurst and Wasuma representational areas of
the Bass Lake Joint Elementary School District, the two candidates
winning his or her respective area with the highest number of votes
would have four-year terms and the third area winner would have
a two-year term.
The county committee’s proposed unification recommendation is currently
being reviewed at the state level. Because of state backlogs, the
issue is not anticipated to come to vote until 2006 or 2007.
County Committee member Sara Wilkins, president of the Madera County
Board of Education perhaps summed up the feeling of the members
of the county committee. “If I have a problem, who do I call to
get through the process?” she asked, indicating the county committee
wanted parents to have local contacts — a person they knew and felt
comfortable talking to, who could help them in case of a problem.
This is about “how much we care about kids” she stated, appropriately
emotional at the concern the members of the county board and the
county committee have about how to attain the best possible education
for Madera County’s children. The county committee meeting was delayed
about 30 minutes as the Madera County Board of Education was hearing
a parent voice her concerns about her children and their education.
There was no vote taken regarding the matter because it was the
opinion of county counsel that the issue was outside the jurisdiction
of the Madera County Board of Education and other appropriate avenues
were available to the parent.
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