Walnut, Rowland Unified Reach Settlement in District of Choice Appeal

The Walnut Unified School District will pay Rowland Unified $158,000 as part of a recent settlement that ends a lawsuit between the two districts.

After a January ruling ordered the Walnut district to stop accepting students within Rowland's jurisdiction and to compensate Rowland for $100,000 in legal fees, Walnut filed an appeal of the order to pay Rowland's legal fees.

That appeal was dropped as a part of the settlement approved by the Walnut board on May 18 and Walnut agreed to pay an additional $58,000 in legal fees incurred by Rowland during that appeals process.

Walnut Superintendent Dean Conklin said the district continues to question the merit of the decision and whether the court's interpretation of the District of Choice law is consistent with the intent of Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), who re-authorized the law in 2009.

In a statement about the lawsuit, Huff said that "for nearly two decades, the District of Choice program has empowered parents to choose a public school that best meets the needs of their children."

The court's decision in Rowland's favor found that transfers to the Walnut district were having a significant impact on Rowland's finances, and that Rowland's inability to meet required Los Angeles County standards for fiscal stability was "solely attributable to projected transfers to Walnut under the district of choice program."

Sue Ann Evans, the lead legal counsel for Rowland, said in January that the ruling will change the understanding of the law statewide.

"School districts now understand that the district of choice program doesn't mean mass exodus," Evans said.

More in this story:

• Walnut Unified to Pay Legal Fees, Stop Rowland Transfers
• School District Seeking Students, Hopes to Boost Enrollment
• Read the full settlement agreement and the January court ruling in favor of Rowland.