ANAHEIM : City-School Group Tackling Problems

A report released by a coalition of school and city officials defines the schools’ greatest problems as gangs, crime, overcrowding and the need for day care.

The report was released by the Anaheim City/Schools Coordinating Committee, which has been meeting for six months. The committee is an innovative attempt to better match school needs with city resources.

City Councilman Tom Daly, who initiated the committee, said the meetings are a way for school district officials to share problems with city staff and perhaps find solutions.

“Some of these discussions could have happened without this committee, but I’m not sure they would have,” Daly said. “A city can make great strides, but if our school system is not making progress, the community suffers. I want the city government to be a strong and helpful part of the school system.”

For example, at the Anaheim City School District, concerns about overcrowding in the central city area prompted the committee to discuss the issue with the City Council. The council has continued its commitment to down-zone that part of the city, which limits the number of high-density living quarters, such as apartments, that may be built in an area.

Another Anaheim City School District concern that has not been addressed is how it will handle the hundreds of new students expected from development planned for the former Northrop property in an industrial part of north Anaheim.

The group plans to resume meeting every other month, beginning in January.