First
request for de‑annexation from DVUSD ignored
West
Cave Creek takes up the cause again
by
Jennifer Krahe
CAVE
CREEK – “There is still a part of west Cave Creek that wants
to be de‑annexed from Deer Valley Unified School District,”
Katie Rose told The Desert Advocate. She was referring
to residents other than those in Whispering Hills who recently
made requests for de‑annexation.
Whispering Hills, a subdivision on the west side of Cave Creek
with 43 school‑aged children, 10 of whom currently attend
DVUSD schools, would like to become part of Cave Creek Unified
School District. Those requests were denied by Deer Valley Unified
and the Whispering Hills matter currently rests with the state
legislature. However, the greater area of west Cave Creek, Rose
feels, has been left out of the negotiations.
The
area referred to by Rose stretches to 24th Street and south
to Carefree Highway. Most of the homes are spread out on large
plots of land, and there are no subdivisions per se. The residents
rallied back in 2003, gathering signatures for a petition just
as Whispering Hills did recently. Rose reported west Cave Creek
“obtained over 100 signatures of area residents back then, only
to have their effort defeated by DVUSD.”
Patricia
Chard, who was involved in the request for de‑annexation
in 2003, listed the reasons that west Cave Creek would like
to become part of Cave Creek Unified.
“We
don’t want our kids to be bussed to Anthem,” Chard said. “It
has nothing to do with the schools–it’s just the time it takes
to travel there. The kids aren’t buckled in and they’re riding
on a highway at 75 miles an hour.”
Another
concern is summer school. The closest Deer Valley summer school
program is at Esparanza School on Happy Valley Road. Cave Creek
Unified, however, offers summer school conveniently closeby.
“We can go–anyone can go (to CCUSD summer school), but they
aren’t with the same kids they go to school with during the
year,” Chard said, adding that it would be better if the children
went to CCUSD during the regular school year as well.
Rose,
her husband and two children, ages 2 and 5 (the latter soon
entering kindergarten), moved into their rural neighborhood
in May of last year. She quickly took up the fight for de‑annexation
and is in touch with Chard and Lynn Ward, another woman who,
along with Chard, spear‑headed west Cave Creek’s 2003
petition. DVUSD “slammed the door in their faces,” Rose said,
but “they never took it to another level like the legislature.”
In
September 2005, Whispering Hills residents took their de‑annexation
request to CCUSD and DVUSD. Although the CCUSD governing board
agreed to take the subdivision into the district, provided DVUSD
would first allow the de‑annexation, Deer Valley would
not agree and the residents then took the matter to the legislature.
“DV has been uncooperative, unprofessional, and rude; they have
no integrity or character,” said Jennifer Schwimer, a Whispering
Hills resident and advocate for de‑annexation from Deer
Valley Unified.
Schwimer,
speaking on behalf of Whispering Hills in a telephonic interview
with The Desert Advocate in early April, pointed out
that state Senator Jim Waring, ex‑Representative David
Burnell‑Smith and Cave Creek Mayor Vincent Francia offered
their support, and Sen. Waring introduced Senate Bill 1040,
which passed the Senate and is now in the House. SB1040 would
authorize a minor boundary adjustment if a second petition with
90‑percent support is accepted by the receiving school
district, even if the district in which the residents live rejects
the first petition.
“I
think to be fair to DVUSD, they’re caught in the middle of it,”
Chard admitted.
“When
I spoke with Christy Agosta, president of the Deer Valley school
board, last week, she stated that she supports parents choosing
their children's school and said she was thinking of the entire
area of west Cave Creek when they decided to not make a special
deal with Whispering Hills,” Rose said. “She remembered the
‘packed school board meeting’ and said ‘it wouldn’t be fair
to all of the people who rallied in 2003.’”
It
is Whispering Hills’ legislative efforts with which other west
Cave Creek residents are concerned. “We want to make sure that
the bill will incude us,” Rose said. “We’re trying to figure
out whether or not we should support this change.”
The
residents of west Cave Creek are confused and, it seems, a little
miffed at being left out of the request for de‑annexation
coming from Whispering Hills. “Jennifer (Schwimer) does not
care about her neighbors,” Chard said. “Yes, I’m upset. She
claims we aren’t her neighbors. I’m on 35th Street, probably
half a mile away. I guess we don’t exist here.
