SANTA ANA : 4 More Schools May Become Year-Round

With student population at an all-time high, the Santa Ana Unified School District is considering switching four more elementary schools to a year-round schedule to ease overcrowding.

The district has been building schools at a rate of about two per year and has added 517 portable classrooms at school sites to accommodate a student population that has reached more than 45,000 this year.

But these efforts aren’t enough, said John W. Bennett, assistant superintendent of the district’s elementary division.

“It’s getting to the point where we can’t put any more portable classrooms on some of the school sites without encroaching on the playground,” Bennett said.

As a result, a year-round schedule is being considered for Garfield, Hoover, Washington and Adams elementary schools, Bennett said.

“We have mixed reactions to a year-round schedule,” Bennett said. “Some parents who have experienced it have found that it meets their needs, while others prefer the traditional school calendar. The biggest consideration is child care. Many families depend on older children to help with child care during the summer.”

In order to assist with potential child-care problems, the district offers partial day classes for students during breaks in the year-round schedule and works closely with the city’s Recreation and Community Services Agency on after-school activities.

A public hearing on the matter will be held Nov. 27 with a final vote by the board scheduled for Jan. 8, 1991.