District to offer Sagebrush students transfer priority

By Sara Cardine, <i><a href=”mailto:sara.cardine@latimes.com”>sara.cardine@latimes.com</a></i>

Feb. 12, 2015 9:41 AM PT

La Cañada school officials made it easier for families living in the city’s western “Sagebrush” territory to seek transfers into La Cañada Unified from Glendale Unified, agreeing those students should have priority in the district’s transfer process over children whose parents are not employed by La Cañada Unified but work full time within its boundaries.

Supt. Wendy Sinnette brought the matter before the school board Tuesday as an item for discussion, though no vote or further action was required. Given that the district is still in talks with Glendale Unified over a possible transfer of Sagebrush families, it seemed appropriate to discuss the matter publicly, she said.

FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated students living in the Sagebrush area would have priority in the transfer acceptance process over the children of La Cañada Unified School District employees. The Sagebrush students will have priority over children whose parents work full-time within LCUSD boundaries but are not employed by the district. District employees still have a higher priority than both groups. Also, as the result of Tuesday’s meeting, neither Sagebrush students nor the children of LCUSD employees will be considered in the district’s cap of permit applications.

“The details of the [administrative regulation] are typically under the sole purview of the superintendent, but because I think this item is of significance to our entire community, it was important for me to have the Governing Board weigh in on this as a discussion item in open session,” Sinnette said.

Representatives from both districts plan to meet on Feb. 25 to discuss whether an agreement on the terms of a transfer can be reached through negotiations, as opposed to residents bringing the matter before the L.A. County Committee on School District Organization for a legal ruling.

Last summer, when La Cañada officials were hopeful a resolution with Glendale Unified was within reach, they discussed offering open enrollment to Sagebrush families for the 2014-15 school year. However, when talks stalled, and it seemed the offer would no longer apply, parents living in the area appealed for consideration of their children over those nonresident students whose parents worked within the La Cañada Unified boundaries, allowed enrollment under the Allen Bill of the California Education Code.

The board agreed in July, giving Sagebrush students the higher priority of the two for the current school year. After Tuesday night’s discussion, all Sagebrush residents will retain that status, pending a Glendale Unified-approved release.

Since the district currently caps the number of transfer students at 15% districtwide, there was some discussion over whether an influx of Sagebrush students would unfairly push district workers’ children out of the pool.

Sinnette said she didn’t want to do anything to alienate those students, and Board President Andrew Blumenfeld agreed.

“When it comes to the children of employees and also the children who are residents of La Cañada, wherever in La Cañada they live, they are a part of this community. They have rights to our schools, so I would not consider them permits. I would not include them in the current cap,” he said.

As a result of Tuesday’s meeting, the district’s cap calculation will no longer include Sagebrush students or children whose parents are LCUSD employees.