Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The existing boundaries for the Denair Unified School District will remain intact, a county committee decided Wednesday night to loud applause by staff, students and community members.

The 10-member panel voted unanimously to deny a petition by a Turlock housing developer who sought to move land that has been in the Denair district for decades to the Turlock Unified School District.

The decision has major financial implications for Denair, which stands to collect more than $1 million in developer fees when the homes are built and hundreds of thousands of dollars more in annual state funding based on projected student attendance from children living in them.

“We’re ecstatic. It’s wonderful news for our community,” said Denair Superintendent Aaron Rosander.

There was a strongly pro-Denair sentiment at Wednesday’s meeting of the Stanislaus County Committee on School District Reorganization. Nearly 20 people spoke during the hour-long public comment period, all but two of them in favor of keeping 92 acres at the northwest corner of Tuolumne and Waring in the Denair district.

Despite the emotion at Wednesday’s meeting and during more than 3½ hours of public testimony in October, the end was anticlimactic. The committee members swiftly rejected developer Ron Katakis’ petition without comment, leaving it to attorney Chet Quaide to explain their reasoning. Continue reading “Denair Celebrates After County Panel Rejects Developer’s Petition to Redraw School Boundaries” »

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair school officials encourage students, staff and community members to unite again to convince county officials to leave boundary lines in place and reject a Turlock housing developer’s attempt change them.

The Stanislaus County Committee on School District Reorganization is expected to announce its decision on Wed., Feb. 17 during a meeting in Denair. The gathering will be held at 6 p.m. at the Coyote Center of the campus of Denair Middle School.

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.

Last fall, developer Ron Katakis asked that 91 acres at the northwest corner of Tuolumne and Waring roads be moved from the Denair Unified School District into the Turlock Unified School District. 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 redraw the boundary. He claims homeowners will likely identify with Turlock because the new neighborhood will be within the city limits, which have expanded to the east toward Denair over many decades. For that same reason, boundaries between cities and schools throughout the county and the rest of the state often are very different.

The situation 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,” Denair Superintendent Aaron Rosander told the 10-member committee last fall. Continue reading “Decision Expected February 17 on DUSD Boundary Proposal” »

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

More than 70 people turned out Thursday night to learn how they can fight a proposal by a Turlock home developer to redraw the Denair Unified School District’s boundaries. The initiative could cost the district more than $2 million in the first year and hundreds of thousands of dollars annually after that, Superintendent Aaron Rosander told the crowd.

“That is a game-changer, folks,” said Rosander.

The boundary initiative involves 169 homes to be built at the northwest corner of Tuolumne and Waring roads by developer Ronald Katakis. The property in question is about a half-mile from the Denair schools complex on Lester Avenue, but more than two miles away from Turlock High School.

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.

The county office formed a 10-person committee of current and former school board members to consider the change. The panel will hold back-to-back meetings on Wed., Oct. 28 in Turlock (5 p.m.) and Denair (6 p.m.) to hear public comment about the proposal.

Not surprisingly, the parents, students, staff members and Denair residents who showed up Thursday were unanimously against the idea. They listened as Rosander and a district attorney explained the financial and legal implications of the proposed boundary change, and then had a chance to ask questions.

Rosander assured the crowd that “I’m going to fight to the bloody end to make sure this boundary doesn’t get changed. We would argue this is not reasonable or proper. This is territory that belongs in the Denair Unified School District.” Continue reading “Community Members Learn How to Oppose Boundary Change” »