School Trustee Finds New Home, Can Stay on Board

Embattled school trustee Karen Osmundson rented a home within the school district that should allow her to remain on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board of trustees, she reported at the school board meeting Wednesday evening.

The house is within the school district boundaries, officials confirmed.

"We have checked and rechecked," said Brett McFadden, chief business offier for the school district."

this fall when a demographer charged with redrawing district lines for the school board inadvertantly discovered Osmundson lived just outside of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District boundaries.

Osmundson had moved to that rental property in the spring and believed she was within the school district boundary, she has said. Osmundson's deadline was this month.

Osmundson signed a month-to-month lease agreement at 85 Live Oak Rd. in Royal Oaks. She pays $300 a month for the property, according to her landlord, Robert Chacanaca.

"I'd like to say welcome back," Trustee Sandra Nichols said.

Also at the meeting:

• Leslie De Rose was named board president for 2012; Jeff Ursino is vice president and former board chair Willie Yahiro rounds out the leadership committee. 
• The board approved its meeting calendar for the upcoming year. It will be posted here shortly, if you want to spend a Wednesday night with the school district trustees.
• Consultants hired to survey likely voters about their support for a facilities bond for the school district reported that they interviewed 856 voters over the phone this fall. Results show there is some support for the bond measure. Patch will update readers on this issue soon.
• The school year will end June 8 instead of June 1. Yup, one more week of class, kids.