UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The governing boards of the Upper Lake Union High School District and the Upper Lake Union Elementary School District will hold the latest in a series of joint meetings on Wednesday evening to discuss the proposal to unify the two districts.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the Upper Lake High School cafeteria, 675 Clover Valley Road.
Last August, the two boards met to discuss the unification proposal, which kicked off an involved process of further consideration.
According to California Education Code Section, there are 10 criteria for unification. They are:
– The reorganized districts will be adequate in terms of number of pupils enrolled.
– The districts are each organized on the basis of a substantial community identity.
– The proposal will result in an equitable division of property and facilities of the original district or districts.
– The reorganization of the districts will preserve each affected district's ability to educate students in an integrated environment and will not promote racial or ethnic discrimination or segregation.
– Any increase in costs to the state as a result of the proposed reorganization will be insignificant and otherwise incidental to the reorganization.
– The proposed reorganization will continue to promote sound education performance and will not significantly disrupt the educational programs in the districts affected by the proposed reorganization.
– Any increase in school facilities costs as a result of the proposed reorganization will be insignificant and otherwise incidental to the reorganization.
– The proposed reorganization is primarily designed for purposes other than to significantly increase property values.
– The proposed reorganization will continue to promote sound fiscal management and not cause a substantial negative effect on the fiscal status of the proposed district or any existing district affected by the proposed reorganization.
– Any other criteria as the board may, by regulation, prescribe.
On June 26 and March 4, the two boards met jointly and considered the first three criteria, approving them at the last meeting, Upper Lake High Superintendent Patrick Iaccino told Lake County News.
This week, the board is set to consider the next three criteria – regarding integration, costs to the state and a sound educational program – Iaccino said.
He said the boards will meet jointly again on April 22 and May 27 to look at criteria seven through nine and a full draft report on consolidation, respectively.
Once the boards work through all of the criteria, they will need to vote on whether or not to support unification, actions that would need to take place at the boards' regularly scheduled meetings in June, Iaccino explained.
From there, it would go to the county board of education, which would consider recommending it to the state, and a new board would need to be appointed by the county superintendent in order to begin its work next January, Iaccino said.
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