CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Serving in the Capacity as the County Committee on School District Organization

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

The Ronald L. Stewart Center

77 Santa Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California

January 17, 2001

A meeting of the County Committee on School District Organization was called to order at 5:01 p.m. with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL	Cheryll LeMay, Daniel Gomes, Glenn Ruley, Daniel Borsuk, and Pamela Mirabella
ABSENT	None.
CHAIR	Pamela Mirabella
OTHERS	Ellen Elster, Kerry Kilmer, and Laura Dorsey Huerta, County Office staff; Tracey Pereira; Allan Moore, attorney for Chief Petitioner.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA	It was a consensus of the Board to approve the agenda as presented with the following amend-ment: add a section for Board comment under Item 5, Staff Report.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES	The minutes of December 14, 2000, were approved as presented (M/S: Borsuk/LeMay).
PUBLIC COMMENT	None.
ACTION TO APPROVE OR DIS- APPROVE PETITION	After a motion was made by Mr. Ruley and seconded by Mr. Gomes to approve the petition, Mr. Borsuk requested that the Board review each of the criteria addressed in the petition prior to voting on the matter. Following the review of the individual criteria, Mr. Borsuk asked the Chief Petitioner's attorney, Allan Moore, to clarify the issue of property values in the Lafayette School District versus the property values in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Mr. Moore briefly clarified that the petition was primarily based on the need for "community unity" rather than on the issue of property values. It was pointed out by Dr. LeMay that, since the subject properties are already located within the Lafayette zip code, the property value consideration appeared to be a non-issue. Mr. Ruley agreed that, clearly, the petition was not primarily designed with the intention to increase property values and that that point had been proven to his satisfaction. Mrs. Elster called the Board's attention to testimony provided by Kristen Altbaum at the public hearings, which pointed out that homes located nearby in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District appear to be of comparable value to those in her own Lafayette neighborhood. The Board then voted by the following roll call vote to approve the petition received from Kristen A. Altbaum, Chief Petitioner, to transfer territory from the Mt. Diablo Unified School District to the Lafayette School District and the Acalanes Union High School District: LeMay, aye; Gomes, aye; Ruley, aye; Borsuk, aye; and Mirabella, aye. Mrs. Elster clarified that, since the petition has been granted after December 31, 2000, the property transfer would not go into effect officially until 2002. However, she noted that it is customary for the affected school districts to recognize the decision of the Committee as an indication that the petition process has been completed; therefore, she anticipates that students may be allowed to enroll upon request. Ms. Pereira thanked the Board for its favorable decision and noted that, although Chief Petitioner Kristen Altbaum had not been able to attend tonight's meeting due to a flu virus, she undoubtedly would also be very pleased.
STAFF REPORT	Mrs. Mirabella requested staff comment on the advisory ballot measure that has been prepared by the City of Hercules that would survey its citizens about their interest in seceding from the West Contra Costa Unified School District to either form a new school district or combine with another district. She mentioned that she had concerns about a newspaper article she'd read that omitted describing the complex procedure that must be followed in order to change school district boundaries, and she encouraged Mrs. Elster to send the newspaper staff the list of criteria that must be addressed in the territory transfer process. Mrs. Elster responded that she has spoken before the City of Hercules' council members to inform them of the process, but she also has concerns that perhaps the public at large is not fully aware that an advisory measure will not automatically result in a change of boundaries. Mrs. Mirabella requested that staff review the Committee's policy with relation to costs that could be incurred by the County Office of Education as a result of petitions for territory transfers.
ADJOURNMENT	There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:29 p.m.

Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D., Ex Officio Secretary

County Board of Education

These unadopted minutes are summaries and excerpts from the special meeting of January 17, 2001, and are subject to amendment and/or correction prior to the approval of the County Committee on School District Organization.