Submitted by a Resident of Yorba Linda:
The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District says, “All choice transfers have been denied except for sibling of students already attending on a choice transfer and employees” All choice transfer requests into El Dorado, Valencia (Val-Tech is separate) or Yorba Linda High School were denied. According to the district, those high schools have “No space available “ At the same time, Esperanza is the only exception, which has its’ enrollment left inexcusably low.
- This is a clear misrepresentation of what was presented to parents and the Board by Superintendent Smith in February 2009.
- Residents placed in Esperanza’s boundaries are now left with “No Choice”.
- At least El Dorado, Valencia, and YLHS have one other choice.
- The Superintendent stated very clearly that for El Dorado and Valencia in February 2009, “We rarely deny choice transfers.”
- Superintendent Smith has confirmed that he should not be believed. To be trusted, everything you say must be true. You can’t mislead or deceive, and you can’t rely on legalistic loopholes or hide behind excuses like, “You never asked.” Sometimes you’ve got to volunteer information, telling people what they need or want to know, not just what you want to tell them.
- In addition to the promise that the district “rarely denies” choice transfers for high school choice requests; Smith also clearly stated that the reason for opening YLHS was ”to relieve overcrowding at all district comprehensive high schools.” (per district memo sent to all PYLUSD households.) Clearly, the Board has not accomplished that stated promise.
The Board has deprived the citizens, within Esperanza’s boundaries, of their
rights to equity in the “choice transfer” process.
What Can YOU Do?
- Please encourage the School Board to address this INEQUITY placed on residents in Esperanza’s boundaries.
- Request they re-address the boundaries in a fair, common-sense, balanced, open and transparent manner.
- Please call /email/write or speak up at a Board meeting. Otherwise, they will continue to arrogantly ignore and disregard the will of the people.
- It is appropriate to expect them to be responsive and accountable. Only you can keep them honest.
- Board Members: Carol Downey, Karin Freeman, Eric Padget, Kim Palmer and Jan Wagner.
Email: Board@pylusd.org or U.S. Mail: 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870
Is the district playing games with our kids and their high schools? This is outrageous!!! I heard Superintendent Smith tell an entire room of parents that “Choice Transfers are rarely denied”. It sounds like “Choice Transfers are RARELY GRANTED! The Board must fix this! This is very wrong!
PYLUSD Trustee Karin Freeman is responsible for this boundary debacle. She is a career politician with 23 years on the School Board with no school age children in PYLUSD. She is totally disconnected and out-of-touch with the issues of the children in the district! It is time to VOTE her OUT! Karin Freeman has consistently and arrogantly dismissed the will of parents. She has proven she is unaccountable and untrustworthy!!! DO NOT re-elect PYLUSD Trustee Karin Freeman! What we allow, we encourage. Let’s NOT encourage more tone-deaf politicians like Karin Freeman.
Esperanza To those interested in the survival of Esperanza High School
Last year the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District redrew the high school boundaries because a new high school was opened. People from Esperanza knew the school enrollment was going to be reduced but EHS was going to be moved to a league of similar size schools. Thus, few complaints came from Esperanza during the process. Esperanza was supposed to end up with 2400 students and was releagued on that basis with similar size schools
However, on the night of the school board voting, a large block that was supposed to come from the Valencia area was cut off and sent back to Valencia. To make matters worse, the district granted every request for a transfer from the Esperanza area to the new school. As a result Esperanza has a freshman class of barely 400 including extreme special ed students. Valencia lost no students and will be 2600+, El Dorado lost a few hundred yet Esperanza is set to lose half its enrollment in 4 years This summer that resulted in a freshmen cross country team with 3 freshmen, 17 instead of 40 athletes coming out for frosh basketball and baseball and 30 frosh football players instead of 70. Every class loses students during its 4 years because of dropouts and transfers to El Camino, but even if no one dropped out, this means that Esperanza will be a high school of 1600 students in 4 years. That will be the 3rd smallest high school in Orange County ahead of only Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa. The district has said they will reduce the number of transfers but even cutting off all transfers will result in a high school of about 1800, still the 3rd smallest in the County The only solution that will give the school any chance of success is to move the west boundary to Jefferson where it was before the growth in the East end. That growth is at the new school now, and Esperanza needs its old boundaries to survive. Ask any realtor and a side benefit of this will be a 10,000 dollar increase in home value in that area because Esperanza has an 840 API score ( top 6 in the county ) and Valencia has a 742 score. The school board is a political body and responds only to pressure. If you can help, let the school board members know that you care and you will vote. Please send this email to anyone else who can help.
Phone: (714) 986-7000
School Board Members
Jan Wagner jwagner@pylusd.org
Judy Miller jmiller@pylusd.org
Eric Padgett epadgett@pylusd.org
Karin Freeman kfreeman@pylusd.org
Carol Downey cdowney@pylusd.org
Superintendent: Dr. Dennis Smith dsmith@pylusd.org
December 9, 2009 at 10:39pm
The previous post regarding the survival of EHS was taken from the EHS Alumni facebook. I just copied the posting and passed the info. along for those who are interested.