West County : VENTURA : Schools to Consider Using Channel One

Ventura’s public schools may join a small but defiant group of California schools that receive Channel One, a controversial satellite news program for children that is opposed by state education officials.

The board of the Ventura Unified School District tonight will discuss a proposal that would allow the 12-minute daily program to be broadcast only at schools where teachers have expressed interest in receiving it.

If the board approves Channel One, the district would become the second in Ventura County to offer it, joining the Santa Paula Elementary School District. A vote is scheduled for May 28.

Ventura’s board is considering the program despite criticism from state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig, who has threatened to withhold funding from schools equivalent to the amount of time children spend watching the two minutes of commercials included in each show.

The California School Boards Assn., the state PTA and teacher employee groups also oppose Channel One, which is produced by Whittle Communications of Knoxville, Tenn.

Each school that receives the program gets a satellite, television and other video equipment worth about $50,000.

In Ventura, the class time spent viewing the program would be in addition to the minimum number of instructional minutes required by the state, said JoAnn VanderMolen, director of curriculum and instruction.

But William L. Rukeyser, an assistant to Honig, said “there is no time during the school day which is not being paid for by the taxpayer. The meter is always running.”

Rukeyser said the program uses teachers “as baby-sitters to ensure that advertisers have unimpeded access to young consumers.”