VENTURA : School Asks Board to OK Mural Plans

Montalvo School is asking the Ventura school board to approve its plans to paint a 40-foot-long mural on a wall near the school’s kindergarten.

The design of the mural, which would cover a seven-foot-high cinder-block wall, depicts letters of the alphabet and cartoon characters, said Montalvo Principal Marie Atmore.

Kindergarten teachers have asked for years for a mural to cover the wall, which is dirty and streaked with rust, Atmore said. Community volunteer Jim Barnett is donating his time creating and painting the mural, she said.

The school will supply about $75 in paint and the district will pay to have the mural covered with a clear coat of an anti-graffiti substance when the paint dries, she said. Barnett has already sketched the design and will complete the project in about three weeks, she said.

The school board is expected to give its approval for the mural at the Nov. 14 board meeting, officials said.