By Mary O’KEEFE

On Jan. 18 the California State Board of Education (SBE) denied Glendale Unified School District’s (GUSD) appeal concerning the Sagebrush transfer. In 2019, the LA County Committee on School District Organizations had approved the petition that would lead to the transfer. GUSD then appealed, but the issue was delayed due to COVID. Last Thursday the issue was finally in front of the board.

To anyone who was listening to the proceedings, it was pretty clear from the beginning that the decision was going to be in favor of La Cañada Flintridge; however, GUSD representatives held out some hope. Both sides presented their case but it was the presentation by the SBE board staff that seemed to seal the deal for La Cañada Flintridge.

The denial of the appeal means that students who live within the area of Sagebrush, which is part of the City of La Cañada Flintridge, would now be going to La Cañada Flintridge schools. Prior to the decision, students who lived in this section of La Cañada Flintridge attended GUSD schools – primarily Mountain Avenue Elementary School, Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School.

The transfer now goes to a vote; the date has yet to be determined. Only those who live within the Sagebrush area will be allowed to vote on this issue, which was another decisive win for La Cañada Flintridge.

The area of Sagebrush is the far west side of La Cañada Flintridge, west of Rosebank Drive to Pickens Canyon. This is known as the Sagebrush area because “years ago it was a patch of sagebrush, which parents on both sides did not want their children to walk through,” said Jeannie Roeper, former La Cañada Unified School District (LCUSD) school board member and former petitioner, in an earlier article regarding one of the public forums held to discuss the issue.

A discussion about the territory transfer has been ongoing for decades but until recently had failed to be officially approved. This recent push for transfer actually began in February 2013 when candidates who were running for the La Cañada Flintridge City Council expressed support for the Sagebrush transfer. In May of that same year, then-resident Tom Smith, founder of Unite LCF, a grassroots La Cañada Flintridge organization, sent a letter to the City Council requesting the City’s support and endorsement of the transfer. In June 2013 the Council adopted a resolution to support the transfer.

Around this time representatives with LCUSD met with the GUSD superintendent and a school board member. The discussion about the transfer then began in earnest and at times became very contentious between those in the GUSD area and those in LCUSD.

In 2014, CV Town Council sent a letter in opposition to the territory transfer.

The discussions continued dealing with not only the loss of students at Mountain Avenue Elementary, Rosemont Middle and CV High schools but specifics on boundaries.

There were community meetings where residents from both areas continued sharing their concerns and frustrations about the transfer decision.

Now the decision has been made but exactly what that means to residents in both districts will need to be evaluated. Some of the issues that will be looked at include when the vote for the transfer will be held and how much will each property owner have to pay. If the transfer is approved by voters, a parcel tax in La Cañada Flintridge will have to be recalculated to include Sagebrush area homeowners. Also, a bond measure – Measure S – that is being paid by GUSD homeowners will have to be recalculated once the Sagebrush homeowners are transferred out of the area.

Next week CVW will have the reaction from GUSD representatives and Unite LCF.