Score a victory for the little guys and for democracy, and give thanks that not all rules and regulations are meant to be broken. A little known Fresno County education committee, which rarely meets more than once a year, rejected a petition by residents to have its gated community and more than acres of undeveloped land near Millerton Lake moved from Sierra Unified to Clovis Unified. The petition was a thinly disguised effort to spike the value of Ventana Hills property, home to million-dollar homes nestled about 10 miles north of Clovis.
The committee and its staff saw through the smokescreen. Additionally, the committee agreed with a staff finding that Ventana Hills is more identifiable with a foothill community than an urban center.
Sierra Unified, the report said, would suffer if it loses future student enrollment, which would harm the overall educational health of the county. The committee, composed of current and former school board members, was right in following staff recommendations in denying the petition.
The committee found that the petition would severely harm the financial stability of Sierra Unified, which has an enrollment of about 1, in grades TK About 10 school-aged children live in Ventana Hills.
Ventana Hills resident Marc Thurston, who submitted the petition, described his community as being more of a suburban neighborhood rather than a standard foothill or mountain community. He also wanted to have his daughter attend a Clovis Unified school instead of driving her to a Sierra Unified school.
