Submitted by Denair Unified School District
A passionate, purple-clad audience of more than 200 Denair residents, parents and students turned out Wednesday night with a common goal: convince a group of county leaders to leave school district boundaries in place and deny a Turlock developer’s attempted land grab.
At stake is more than $1 million in onetime development fees, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in state funding based on student attendance.
But more than money, what was clear in more than 2½ hours of public hearings in Denair and Turlock was the pride the Denair boosters feel for their schools, their teaching staff and their community. Many portrayed the boundary petition by home builder Ron Katakis as a thinly veiled attempt to diminish the quality of education received by Denair students and enable him to increase the price of his homes.
Denair superintendent Aaron Rosander captured the emotional pitch of the David vs. Goliath situation that pits Denair Unified, its 1,300 students and $9 million annual budget against Turlock Unified and its 14,000 students and $136 million budget.
“Small schools matter. Rural schools count. This is truly about small schools that make a positive, powerful and long-lasting impact on children,” he told the 10 county schools committee members to loud applause.
Katakis’ proposal involves about 91 acres at the corners of Tuolumne and Waring roads. The property is about a half-mile from the Denair schools complex on Lester Road, but more than two miles away from the nearest Turlock schools.
The land has always been within the Denair district, but Katakis petitioned the Stanislaus County Office of Education to move it to the Turlock Unified School District, claiming homeowners will likely identify with Turlock because the new neighborhood lies with the city limits. Continue reading “Community Turns Out to Oppose Proposed School Territory Change” »
