Time to vote PAGE 20 MAY 15, 2015 VOLUME 23, NO. 16
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MOVIES | 26 M
Task force dumps new school plan MODEST RECOMMENDATIONS ON SCHOOL BOUNDARIES REJECTS IDEA OF NINE SCHOOLS By Kevin Forestieri
hard against opening a new school, with task force member lans for a new school in Thida Cornes saying the disthe Whisman and Slat- trict does not have the enroller neighborhood area of ment it needs to fill seats at the city may be on the ropes nine schools without pulling after members of Mountain too many students away from View Whisman School District’s existing schools. To do so risks Boundary Advisory Task Force a school closure elsewhere and agreed last night that a new compromises school programs school would siphon too many at nearby Monta Loma, Landels students from existing schools and Theuerkauf elementary, she and threaten a school closure in said. “Our problem is, ‘Can we get the future. Members of the task force enough students at each school?’” Cornes said. have a two“Our enrollpronged misment doesn’t sion: re-draw the ‘People are going support it. district’s attenThat’s the dance boundarto be unhappy, simplest ies so schools like Huff Elementary particularly in the answer.”O n e aren’t packed, and explore the Whisman-Slater of the problems identifeasibility of opening a new neighborhood (but) fied by task force memschool in the we can’t make the bers was the northeast quadpotential rant of Mounnumbers work.’ reduction of tain View — an area that has no THIDA CORNES, TASK FORCE MEMBER c l a s s r o o m s per grade level neig hborhood from three to school. two at schools The task force, in a “thumbs up or thumbs like Monta Loma. Having three down” vote, on Tuesday approved classes, or “strands,” in each recommending new boundar- grade allows for “differentiated” ies that would move children learning tailored for groups of in the Whisman neighborhood students in each classroom. “We’ve barely got the numbers currently zoned for Huff School into the Theuerkauf Elemen- to have three-strand schools tary boundary. The proposal was across the district,” said task considered an obvious change, as force member Jennifer Coogan. Cornes and Coogan, along students had to cross much of the city, including Central Express- with Huff parent Magda Wilkinway and El Camino Real, to get son and others, broke off last to school. A wedge of Huff’s week into a smaller group to boundary north of Grant Road discuss over a dozen different was re-zoned for Bubb Elemen- boundary scenarios. The goal of tary. See TASK FORCE, page 9 But the task force came down
P MICHELLE LE
Alfonso Barreras was honored by the French government for his service in World War II to liberate France from Nazi Germany.
Longtime resident inducted into French Legion of Honor Rachel Lee
I
t’s safe to say that there aren’t too many residents of Mountain View who belong to the French Legion
of Honor. Alfonso Barreras, a 80-year-old Mountain View resident, is the latest to receive the honor. Barreras, 90, was born in Arizona and said he was
raised in a working family where they “followed the crops for work.” The April 21 induction cerSee LEGION OF HONOR, page 7
Outdoor-ed camp worker suspect in child molestation, kiddie porn case MOUNTAIN VIEW WHISMAN FIFTH-GRADERS ATTEND COUNTY-RUN WALDEN WEST CAMP By Kevin Forestieri
A
n employee at the Walden West Science Camp in Saratoga is facing molestation charges following an investigation that found hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his computer, according to the press release Santa Clara County Office of Education. The Santa Clara County Sheriff ’s Office arrested 27-yearold Edgar Covarrubias, who
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worked at the Walden West camp in Saratoga, af ter detectives found found hundreds of images and Edgar videos of child Covarrubias por nog raphy on Covarrubias’s personal computer and phone during a May 7 search at the camp, according to a press release by the sheriff’s office.
Fifth-grade students in the Mountain View Whisman School District are among the kids who attend the countyrun outdoor education camp, according to an email by Interim Superintendent Kevin Skelly. Students from the district participated in the camp in Saratoga where Covarrubias worked. It was revealed this week that Covarrubias had contact with children at the See OUTDOOR-ED CAMP, page 7
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