SANTA ANA : Businesses Expand School Aid Programs

During a time of shrinking budgets and slashed programs, more than 150 local businesses have rallied behind the Santa Ana Unified School District, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and other gifts.

When the School/Business Partnership Program--aimed at cultivating long-term relationships between individual schools and local companies--started in 1984, two companies participated. There are now 157 business participants whose donations last year included an estimated $200,000 worth of computers, training, scholarships and other contributions.

At a ceremony today, to be attended by Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton, the school district and Chamber of Commerce will recognize those businesses for their participation.

One such company is Fluor Daniel, which recently donated $20,000 to outfit a science lab at Carver Elementary School. Others include the National Bank of Southern California, which gives away a bicycle every month as an attendance incentive at Kennedy Elementary school. Another is Plaza Savings & Loan, which has established college scholarships for some of the students at Sierra Intermediate School.

The goal of the program is not to raise money or provide new equipment, although those things are part of it, participants said. The goal is to improve education by providing in-person participation on campus and positive role models for students and awareness of job opportunities.

“A youngster doesn’t dream if he doesn’t know what there is to dream about,” said Diane Thomas, the program’s coordinator.

In return for their investment of time and money, businesses hope to get a better educated and motivated pool of potential employees. “Businesses have a vested interest in the curriculum and in showing students what it takes to be a successful employee,” said school district Trustee Sal Mendoza. “The business community realizes that the education system will not have enough money to provide for all the programs because of budget cuts from the state.”

Although it forges ties between individual schools and businesses, the program does not fit the adopt-a-school mold, Thomas said: “We wanted to get away from the image that big business gives and little schools take. We wanted students to see you don’t just get , you take responsibility and give back.”

Students can give back to business partners by creating art for company lobbies or by having school choirs sing at partners’ special holiday functions. Schools can also help shape attitudes and behavior that will benefit businesses in the future.

Thomas L. Anderson, general manager for engineering services at Fluor Daniel in Irvine, said 24 of his firm’s engineers now help teachers in the classroom explain science principles.

At Carver Elementary, the engineers often demonstrate such things as how the body’s circulatory system works and how bridges are built for maximum strength. “Some of our engineers get a standing ovation from the kids when they finish, literally,” he said.

As for company employees, Anderson said, “they feel that they are now directly doing something to help out the educational system. We have hundreds of engineers who would like to help out. I have a vision that we will need to have many more partnerships like these in the future.”