Politics & Government
Moiola Supporters Stay True to Their School
Parents and students, unmoved by a committee's arguments, ask Fountain Valley School District trustees to ignore the recommendation to close their campus.
Despite hearing that Fred Moiola K-8 School is the best choice for a school closure, parents and students last week urged the to find another way to resolve its financial troubles.
“Moiola has a unique and special sixth-to-eighth-grade program," Keisha Cosand, a mother of a Moiola first-grader, said at the trustees' Oct. 13 meeting. “We need to protect our children’s education.”
Rick Caruso, father of a student at Moiola, said financial arguments to close the school are flawed. “The expected $375,000 to $400,000 [from the sale of the school] is illusionary,” he said. “You can cut expenses from all schools by 1 percent and keep all the schools.”
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The district has been looking at to make up for a $2-million budget deficit, and Moiola, the district's only K-8 school, is the recommended target.
Assistant Superintendent Stephen McMahon explained the process used by the School Boundaries and Closure Committee to make its recommendation:
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- Committee members ranked 18 criteria and selected the top 10.
- Certain criteria were weighed against each other, and some were merged.
- Each school was assigned points based on its ranking in each criterion.
- The results were weighed and summed for a final point total.
“Out of a maximum 288 points, Moiola was the highest," with 238 points, McMahon said. "Cox was the lowest, with 144. Based on these criteria, the committee suggests that Moiola should be closed.”
He defended the way the choice was made. “All committee members agreed that it was a fair process," he said. “Members in the committee were not afraid to speak their minds."
Among those asking the board to spare Moiola was a seventh-grader wearing a yellow soccer uniform. "There is a sense of togetherness at Moiola," he said. "We need to show our support for our school.”
And one teary-eyed former Moiola student, currently a junior at Fountain Valley High, said, “Please reconsider closing Moiola. It’s a big mistake.”
The public can comment on the proposed school closure at a hearing Nov. 8 and again during the board’s regular meeting Nov. 17.
“We will continue to listen as we try to make an informed decision,” said board member Sandra Crandall.
