Assembly Approves Aid to School Districts With Falling Enrollments

A bill to earmark as much as $9.1 million for school districts with declining enrollments, including more than $1.2 million for South Bay school districts, was approved by the Assembly on a 45-23 vote Thursday and sent to the Senate.

The bill, by Assemblyman Gerald N. Felando (R-San Pedro), faces an uncertain future in the Senate, in part because supporters must obtain various rule waivers to get it heard before the legislative session ends Aug. 31.

Assemblyman William Filante (R-Greenbrae), a prime supporter of the legislation, said he would immediately seek negotiations with Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to obtain consideration for the measure. Filante said: “We’re going to try to strike a deal” to win Senate approval of the bill.

Filante said that on a one-time basis the bill provides the districts the same amount of money they received last year. The bill would appropriate roughly $9.1 million to about 90 school districts statewide. The South Bay Union High School District would receive $1.2 million; Palos Verdes Unified would qualify for about $6,800 and Hermosa Beach Elementary for about $1,200.

A similar proposal by Sen. Robert Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach) is pending in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Beverly’s measure would provide about $21 million to districts with declining enrollments. Among them, Palos Verdes Unified would get $414,000; South Bay Union $314,000 and Torrance Unified $636,000.

Filante said the Felando bill is similar to a proposal that Gov. George Deukmejian approved in 1986, and he is hopeful that the governor will sign the latest measure if it reaches his desk.

Filante said enrollment around the state is increasing, but some schools face a severe drop in enrollment, which means that they get less funding from the state. For example, South Bay Union, which covers Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, expects enrollment to drop by 500 students in the coming school year.

South Bay Supt. Walter Hale predicted that “without the money (in the bill) we’ll lose all our support staff,” including custodians and secretaries. Edward King, the district’s business manager, said one reason for the enrollment drop has been the high cost of housing in the area, making it difficult for families to move into the district.

However, Hale said the decline in enrollment, at least in lower grades, appears to be slowing. For example, the Hermosa Beach Elementary district expects to gain about 50 pupils this year.

In the Palos Verdes district, enrollment is expected to decline by about 300 students this year to 9,800, said Nancy Mahr, the district’s public information officer. She said the district would prefer a legislative solution that would give the district more than the $6,800 estimated under the Felando bill. “Our spending is $3,400 per child, so $6,800 doesn’t go too far,” Mahr said.

But several legislators said Felando’s proposal is too generous to districts with dwindling enrollments. Assembly Majority Leader Thomas M. Hannigan (D-Fairfield), said he opposed the measure because it takes money “that would otherwise go to districts with growing enrollments . . . and give (money) to districts that are reducing in size.”