Laying It on the Line : Parents Camp Out to Get Kids Into Fundamental School

They weren’t waiting for tickets to see Bruce Springsteen or Barbra Streisand, or even the Super Bowl.

More than 200 people who camped out Wednesday night in a Santa Ana school parking lot--many prepared to stay for three nights--were looking only for a chance to enroll their children in one of the city’s best public schools.

“After the first parents started coming, others parents said, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re already starting,’ and came out too,” said Holly Griffith, a school volunteer who kept a list of parents waiting in line. “People have camped out in the past, but not this many people this early.”

Whole families began arriving with camping gear at MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School at 11 a.m. to register their children for the 135 sixth-grade openings at the fundamental school. Registration starts at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Wednesday night’s turnout surprised even those who have witnessed what has become an annual competition for coveted spots in the struggling school district’s prestigious fundamental schools. Parents in line said they are frustrated by what they perceive as the declining quality of education, and that motivated them to fight to enroll their children in a better school.

At fundamental schools, known for their strict dress codes and rigorous academic program, test scores are far above the district average, patriotism is stressed and homework is assigned four nights a week.

*

There are three fundamental schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District, two elementary and one intermediate. Because of the popularity of the program, the district decided last February to open another fundamental middle school at a shopping center at Bristol and 17th streets.

On Wednesday night, some parents pitched tents, others brought portable televisions and radios. One had a pizza delivered.

Although most parents were prepared to camp out for three days, the crowd grew so large and unwieldy that school volunteers took down parents’ names to ensure their spots in line, sent them home at 8:30 and told them to return before 7 a.m. A few parents pitched tents in an adjacent park, but city authorities told the school no one would be allowed to spend the night in the park.

Parents said they knew competition for a spot in the sixth grade would be stiff. And once they saw or heard that other parents had started to line up, they dropped whatever they were doing to get to the school.

Jay Taylor, a salesman who works on commission, canceled two business meetings to reserve a spot for his daughter. Although he arrived before noon, eight parents were ahead of him.

“All it took was one person to get in line,” he said.

Taylor, whose daughter is in the fifth grade at Jefferson Elementary, said he plans to take the next two days off to ensure his place.

“I have a real understanding boss with six kids,” he said, “and if this is what it takes to get my daughter at this school, this is what it takes. But I think this is good for kids to see because it shows how much adults value a good education.”

Like Taylor, most parents said they are willing to wait as long as it takes to enroll their children at MacArthur because they’re attracted to the school’s strict disciplinary policies and its reputation for being one of the best schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

“I know this school is the best,” said Maria Perez, who came to enroll her niece at the school. “Everything is more organized and the teachers are good. It’s more strict, but to me, that’s better.”

Nga Do said she wants her daughter to attend the school because she believes it will help keep her out of gangs and other trouble.

*

“I don’t feel my child would be safe at regular schools,” she said. “This school is a good choice because I can’t afford private schools.”

Orange County’s current bankruptcy crisis also has some parents worried because public schools are likely to see their budgets dramatically cut.

“At least here, they’ll have a cap so class sizes will stay small,” Griffith said. “A lot of people still believe in public schools because public schools do good things.”

Some parents were angry about the wait and tempers flared.

“It’s ridiculous, I don’t know what’s going on,” said Lourdes Umali, a single parent who had received a call from her son urging her to get to the school immediately. When she arrived, she saw to her chagrin that 68 parents already were waiting to register. “How can I work and stay here? How can I go to the restroom? This doesn’t sound right.”

Griffith said some parents were angry because they couldn’t take two days off work.

“I think there’s frustration, because parents don’t understand why they have to fight so hard for this type of access,” Griffith said.

Santa Ana Unified school board member Audrey Yamagata-Noji said, “I think parents have a sense that fundamental schools are better because the schools require a lot more parental involvement. I think a lot of parents are also more aware because last year we made an effort to communicate their options to them.”