SCHOOL REPORT : Vista Schools Scramble to House Students
For the first time in four years, the doors of a new school will not be opening in the Vista Unified School District this September.
However, Supt. Rene Townsend says the district does hope to have an elementary school open next fall to accommodate Vista’s growing school-age population.
The district opened five schools in the last four years--two in 1987, two in 1988 and one in 1989.
According to the San Diego County Office of Education, district enrollment has grown 40% in that time, from 12,512 in 1986-1987 to 17,520 last year.
This year’s break from school openings “wasn’t a total breather,” Townsend said. “We changed our whole calendar to accommodate growth.”
In fact, the only reason the district is not opening a new school this year is that it did not have the money to do so, Townsend says. As a result, Vista kids now attend school in one of three, year-round calendar tracks.
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