On November 15, 2018, the Board of Directors of the Charter Oak Unified School District voted no on the Resolution Declaring the Property Surplus and Authorizing Public Sale of Royal Oak Middle School land.

We thank the Board for listening to the community on the issues raised regarding the sale of land, the detrimental impact on the community and the need for the green space for our community to play sports and recreational activities. This land is unique and must be cherished for our generation and generations to come.

It took courage for the board members to take a few steps back and listen to the community on these issues and to vote no on the sale of this land in the interest of the community.

The Board also Recognized a need for greater community involvement and the need for information to be related to the community accurately

Moving forward, we hope the board will listen to our suggestions before moving forward with the sale of any land in the District and appoint community members to work side-by-side the board and the 7-11 committee. We also hope that meetings will be noticed and advance and posted in the local newspaper for greater community involvement.

While the board voted no on the resolution, that does not mean this issue won’t be raised again. We need to be diligent and to be kept informed.

With a committee of community members, the greater community would be able to receive information from and present ideas and feedback to the board.

This will provide for a greater transparency and the dissemination of ideas to help strengthen the District and our community.

Thank you to the community members who came together sharing their experiences and love of the Royal Oak property and to those who had the courage to speak out against this project. You have made a difference in our community and for our future.

Covina Concerned Citizens