Orange County Trend : School Districts Learning to Cope With Lean Times

Alan Trudell got a chuckle the other day when he glanced at an old teacher recruitment brochure put out by the Garden Grove Unified School District in the late 1950s.

“It said, ‘Come to smog-free Garden Grove,’ ” Trudell, the district’s director of public relations, recalled. “The women had beehive hair styles. . . . Disneyland was in the background. It was like a tourist brochure.”

The 1950s and ‘60s were, indeed, big growth years for Orange County schools. But since the mid-’70s, times have been pretty lean for most school districts.

The end of the baby boom, a slowing of the county’s rapid growth and the spurt in housing prices all took their toll. Public school enrollment countywide fell from 376,304 in 1975 to 328,044 in 1983. Teacher recruitment went the way of the beehive hairdo. Indeed, hundreds of teachers have been laid off.

District officials began closing schools to cut operating costs. Ninety public schools in Orange County have been closed since 1976, according to a survey of school districts conducted by The Times. There are now about 480 public schools in Orange County. Officials with five districts have either decided to close or are considering closing 14 more schools in the next two years.

The shutdowns are almost always painful. For teachers and other employees, it often means the end of a job. For parents and children, it can mean disrupted lives and the prospect of a longer commute to another school. For administrators, it often means having to contend with angry parents and employees unwilling to accept the decision to close their school instead of another in the district.

In some districts, the pain has been coming almost in annual doses.

“At one time we had 40 schools,” said Fred Carter, director of student services at Newport-Mesa Unified School District. “We’re now down to 24.”

Enrollment in the district, which serves Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, has fallen from 25,673 to 16,264 since 1975, according to county Department of Education statistics. “We were losing 1,000 kids a year,” Carter said. “Now it’s more like 300 a year. At this time we don’t see the decline leveling off, but we do see it become more gradual.

“The problem is married people with joint incomes are not having as many children--or they move to less expensive areas. They’re going to Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”

With the exception of Santa Ana, which has a skyrocketing Latino population, and districts in southern Orange County, where development is still under way, student enrollments are dwindling.

Slight Enrollment Increase

But there are signs the decline may have hit bottom. Last fall, public school enrollment in the county was up 0.29% from the previous year--the first increase in eight years, according to county Department of Education statistics. Even more encouraging are county statistics that show a 3.2% increase in the enrollment of kindergarten pupils, who presumably will make their way through the school system.

In fact, kindergarten enrollment has been rising since 1979, and officials are hoping that this “echo” effect from the baby boom of the late 1940s through the early 1960s will bring a multitude of children to fill Orange County classrooms. Children born during those years are now adults and starting families, and county demographers predict that by 1990, elementary school enrollment will increase by 40,000, nearly 20% above the current level.

District administrators in Orange, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa say they still have several years of declining enrollments ahead of them, but most are breathing a sigh of relief.

Even officials of the Garden Grove Unified School District are a little more cheerful this year after a decade in which they had to sell, lease or “reutilize” 15 campuses as enrollment fell from 58,187 to 36,559.

“For the first time since the 1968-69 school year, we’ve got an increase--we’ve got seven more kids than last year,” Trudell said. “That may not seem like much, but you’ve got to remember we were dropping close to a thousand students a year.”

‘We’re Turning Around’

Tustin Unified School District enrollment fell from 16,490 to 10,191 since 1975, forcing the closing of four schools. But things are beginning to change there too.

“This year we are clearly turning around and starting to grow again,” said district Business Manager Lawrence E. Sutherland Jr. “Every grade level has increased, and we are anticipating a slight growth next year too. The Irvine Co. has a major residential development which will generate some 9,000 to 12,000 students over the next two to eight years. We’re looking forward to that.”

The forecast is still dismal for the Orange Unified School District, where enrollment has declined from 30,776 to 25,024 since 1976. Four schools have been closed and the Board of Education will close Peralta Junior High and four elementary schools this June.

Recent events at Orange Unified illustrate the acrimony of the process. About 1,000 parents, teachers and students jammed the Orange High School gymnasium for two meetings held before the board voted 4 to 3 last week to close the four elementary schools.

Among the angry parents are Ron and Jean Ehmsen, who 3 1/2 years ago moved to a home about about a block from Villa Park Elementary so their three children could walk to school. Villa Park is one of the schools that will be closed, and the Ehmsen children will be going to another school more than a mile away.

“I’m very distressed,” Jean Ehmsen said after last week’s meeting. “There are a lot of budgetary alternatives the board could have considered before they got around to closing schools. This just reflects the mediocrity of the board.”

Parents Voice Anger

Several of the parents remained outside in the chilly air long after the decision was made. Some said they wanted to sue the district. Others said they would vote against those board members who favored closing schools. Still others threatened to enroll their children in private schools. And many said they would no longer take an active role in school functions.

“This sort of thing polarizes the community,” said Karyn Schonherz, one of the parents. “It’s pitting parents against each other. It’s pitting schools against each other. It’s just terrible.”

The decisions to close the Orange Unified schools were particularly divisive because two parent groups formed to examine the district’s financial condition differed on the need to close the four schools. One of the groups--the Citizens Steering Committee for Better Schools--recommended the closings. The other group--the Professional Advisory Committee--suggested ways in which the district could save $1 million, and maintained that the closings were not necessary.

“We did a lot of work on this thing and they (school board members) just patronized us,” Professional Advisory Committee member Lance Hultgren said after the board’s vote. “They made up their minds a long time ago. We saved them a million dollars, and they’re saying ‘We don’t care about you.’ What they did tonight was capricious. It was arbitrary. It was contrived.”

But district administrators said school closures are the only way they could cut $500,000 from a $77-million budget without compromising the quality of education.

Supt. Kenneth D. Brummel said the district is projected to continued to lose about 400 students a year. “The choice . . . is clear, but admittedly one which will not please everyone,” he told the parents. “Having participated in heated discussions, having received pleasant and unpleasant correspondence . . . the administration can appreciate the depth of emotions which you are all feeling as we ask for your direction.”

Meanwhile, officials at the Santa Ana Unified District a few miles away are looking for new schools and recruiting teachers. An influx of Hispanic and Asian students has increased enrollment from 27,564 to 35,265 since 1975. Assistant Supt. Anthony J. Dalessi said the district will need a new high school and five or six elementary schools in the next few years.

“We’re projecting to grow 1,000 to 1,200 kids a year,” Dalessi said. “Of the new students, 90% are Hispanic or Asian. We’re not typical Orange County.”

Nor is the Irvine Unified School District, which along with Saddleback and Capistrano unified school districts, is on the upswing.

Corene A. Barr, Capistrano Unified School District public relations officer, said high interest rates in the late 1970s and early ‘80s slowed enrollment by slowing growth in south county. “But now that the economy is becoming more flexible and money is made more available to potential homeowners, we expect our population to increase,” Barr said.

‘Healthy Sign’

Capistrano district enrollment hit a record of 18,195 students this fall. “For the first time our kindergarten enrollment exceeds sixth grade,” Barr said. “It shows that young people are moving into the area, which is a healthy sign.”

Enrollment at Irvine Unified has jumped from 10,723 to 16,494 since 1975. “We’re still growing,” said David E. King, director of planning and development for the district. “We expect to double our population in the next 10 years, if the economy holds.”

Trudell, the Garden Grove district public relations director, says the Irvine district’s situation is reminiscent of how it was in the rest of the county 30 years ago.

“Everywhere you drive you see these signs along the road: ‘Future School Site.’ They’re all over the place,” he said. “It’s like being back in the ‘50s.”

The situation in other Orange County school districts is as follows:

- Anaheim City Elementary: An influx of Asian residents, many with large families, has brought modest enrollment increases in recent years. Enrollment stood at 11,670 last fall, up from a low of 11,362 in 1980. Nevertheless, declining enrollment forced the district to close Washington School in 1980 and Francis Scott Key School in 1982. No further closings are planned.

- Anaheim Union High School: Enrollment has fallen from 36,508 to 23,419 since 1975, leading the district to closing six junior highs in 1979 and 1980. No additional closings are planned. “We’re projecting to be down about 300 at the junior high school level next year and up about 294 at the high school level,” said Lorraine Kobett, director of student services. “I haven’t looked at the crystal ball to the next few years. But just to guesstimate, I would say there may be a slight increase at the high school level.”

- Brea-Olinda Unified: This has been one of the stablest districts in the county. Enrollment has slipped just 7% since 1975--from 4,790 to 4,450 since 1975. No schools have been closed, and no closings are planned, Supt. Edgar Z. Seal said. Enrollment rose by about 70 students this year and is expected to increase by another 100 students next year, he said.

- Buena Park Elementary: “We think things have finally stabilized,” said Supt. Robert W. Purvis. Enrollment has fallen from 4,605 in 1972 to 3,625 now, a drop that forced the closure of three schools in the period from 1980 to 1984. No additional closings are planned. “This year we increased enrollment about 100 students for the first time in a number of years,” Purvis said.

-Centralia Elementary: Enrollment in this Buena Park district has fallen from 5,543 to 3,880 since 1968, forcing the district to close three schools. No additional closings are planned. “Our enrollment trend for the past 17 years has been down,” said Alanna Stuckey, director of fiscal services. “We anticipated a further decline this year. Instead, we increased a little.”

- Cypress Elementary: The current enrollment of 3,275 is less than half what it was in 1971, when it reached a peak of 7,500. The district closed five schools in the period from 1978 to 1983. No additional closings are planned. “We had some problems a few years ago, but I think we’re in reasonably good shape right now,” Supt. William B. Calton said.

- Fountain Valley Elementary: A drop in pupils from 11,866 to 6,468 since 1973 forced the closing of four schools in the last three years. No further closings are planned. “We think we’ll bottom out in 1988-89,” said Public Relations Director Cheryl Norton. “After that, we’ll have a slow increase. We’re not losing as many students as before.”

-Fullerton Elementary: Enrollment has fallen from 11,421 to 9,328 since 1975. Three schools were closed in 1980. No additional closings are planned.

- Fullerton Joint Union High School: Enrollment has fallen from 14,661 to 12,563 since 1975. Lowell High School was closed in 1980. No additional closings are planned.

- Huntington Beach Elementary: Three schools were closed in 1981, thanks to an enrollment decline from 8,311 to 5,508 since 1976. Robert H. Burke School will be closed this year, and school board members say they will close either Isaac L. Sowers Middle School or Ernest H. Gisler Middle School in June, 1986. “We do anticipate a continued slight decline over the next two years,” said Catherine Bruhns, administrative assistant to the superintendent. “But things are at least beginning to stabilize.”

- Huntington Beach Union High School: Despite a steep decline in enrollment--18,235 now, compared with 29,822 in 1975--no schools have been closed and no closings are planned. Five of the seven high schools in the district were designed for 3,000 students but are able to function with 2,000, according to Assistant Supt. Glen H. Dysinger. District officials believe attendance will fall to 13,000 by 1989, but Dysinger does not believe any school will be closed. “It looks like enrollment will get better by the early 1990s,” Dysinger said. “By then things should have turned around.”

- La Habra City Elementary: Enrollment has fallen from 6,337 to 4,050 since 1968. Two schools were closed in 1983. No further closings are planned.

- Laguna Beach Unified: Enrollment has plunged to 2,355 from 4,095 since 1975. No school closings are planned, but, Business Manager Clyde H. Lovelady said, things are “pretty bad” and the future uncertain. “We’ve been hurt by expensive real estate,” he said. “We’ll probably drop to around 1,600. I think you will gradually see a leveling off and hopefully a left turn in the early 1990s.”

- Los Alamitos Unified: The student population has slid to 3,477, from 5,884 in 1975. Four of the eight elementary schools in the district were closed in the period from 1980 to 1983. The district may close Oak Middle School in September, 1986, according to Ron Zybach, director of personnel and employee relations. “The decision will be contingent on enrollment and financial data,” Zybach said. “We’re looking at a decline in the middle schools, (but) we don’t expect enrollment to drop significantly.”

- Magnolia Elementary: The enrollment in this Anaheim district has fallen from 6,500 to 4,012 since 1968. The district closed Juliet Lowe Elementary School in 1978. No further closings are planned. “We seem to be creeping back up slightly each year,” Assistant Supt. Earl D. Butler said.

- Ocean View Elementary: This Huntington Beach district has closed two schools in recent years and will close four more in June. Enrollment has plunged from about 14,200 in 1974 to 9,150 today. A continued decline to 8,150 is projected by the 1987-88 school year, said Gayle Wayne, administrative assistant to the superintendent. “We hope the district enrollment will stabilize by that time,” she said. “I tell you, I’d like to lock these kids in the community and keep them here.”

-Placentia Unified: Enrollment has slipped slightly from 17,049 to 16,870 since 1980, but no schools have closed and no closings are planned. “For many years, we grew at about 1,000 students per year,” said Donna Bylund, administrative assistant to the superintendent. “For the next four years, we stabilized. For the last two years there’s been a decline.”

-Saddleback Valley Unified: Enrollment in this Mission Viejo-area district has increased from 18,860 to 20,312 since 1975. A new high school will open this fall, and, of couse, there have been no closures. “We’ve had about 5,000 houses built around here in the last four years,” said Mary Lou Smith, a facilities planning specialist with the district. “As far as school closures go, we’re kind of boring.”

- Savanna Elementary: This Anaheim district has fewer than half the pupils it had in 1966. Enrollment now stands at 1,550, down from a peak of 3,228. Three of the district’s six schools were closed in 1979 and in the early 1980s. “Things are starting to level off,” Assistant Supt. Don Hill said. “The number of kindergarten versus sixth-grade students (226 to 217) is about the same. We’ve been able to maintain.”

- Westminster Elementary: Enrollment has fallen from 13,800 to 7,490 since 1969. Five schools were closed in the middle and late 1970s, and the district will close John F. Land School and Neomia Willmore School in June. “The older folks whose kids have grown and left home are staying because they can’t afford to live elsewhere,” said Bob Camire, administrator of personnel services. “If it weren’t for an increase in the Asian student population, we would have closed two more schools, at least.”

- Yorba Linda Elementary: Enrollment has fallen from 2,433 to 1,764 since 1975. The Richard Nixon School was closed in 1981. No other closings are planned. “We expect a decline again next year of about 54 pupils,” Supt. Mary Ellen Blanton said. “Hopefully, we’ll stabilize.”