Skip to main content

COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF ROWLAND UNIFIED IN 'DISTRICT OF CHOICE' LEGAL DISPUTE

                                                                                                       NEWS
Media Contact: Gina Ward
(626)854-8352
 
COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF ROWLAND UNIFIED IN “DISTRICT OF CHOICE” LEGAL DISPUTE WITH WALNUT VALLEY UNIFIED
 
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – APRIL 16, 2010  – Arguments were heard yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court  in a lawsuit between Rowland Unified School District and Walnut Valley Unified regarding interpretation of the “District of Choice” (DOC) student transfer law. The court ruled in favor of Rowland Unified and agreed with the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s determination that Walnut Valley had accepted 1,940 student DOC transfers, which was more than the 10% cap stated in the law. The court decision enforces the cap, resulting in no further DOC student transfers to Walnut Valley. 
            The court also ruled in favor of Rowland Unified to limit
DOC transfers due to the dire fiscal and budgetary impacts it would cause, affecting the District’s budget from a “Positive Budget Certification” to a “Qualified Certification.”
            “We are grateful that the County’s determination was supported by the court,” said Rowland Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott.  “I also want to applaud our Board of Education for their courage to make the difficult decision to take legal action. They did this to protect the outstanding educational programs for our children in Rowland Unified.”
            “We want to emphasize that “District of Choice” is not about parent choice. It has been a fiscal choice. Walnut Valley has been generating revenue by admitting more than 3,100 students from surrounding Districts. This has severely impacted school enrollment in neighboring districts,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bob Wertz. “There has always been a way for parents to choose schools that are best for their children, through the inter and intra-district transfer permit process. It is unfortunate that the DOC law was interpreted and used in a way for which it was not intended,” said Wertz.
            Rowland Unified has four National Blue Ribbon Schools, 16 California Distinguished Schools, and both Rowland and Nogales High Schools offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate Program and award-winning Career Pathway Certificate Program. The District also features two K-8 Primary Years Program Candidate Schools with the innovative “Apple One to One Laptop Learning Program.”  For further information about Rowland Unified schools and programs, please visit www.RowlandSchools.org
The Rowland Unified School District is proud to serve 16,000 students at 23 elementary and secondary schools in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, call (626) 965-2541 or visit www.RowlandSchools.org. 
 
                                                #          #          #
Published