School Transfer Policy Not Likely to Change

A study of transfers among Newport-Mesa schools does not show evidence of “white flight” from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, which has been rumored for years in the community.

As a result, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District is not likely to change its transfer policy, which allows students to attend any school within the district.

“There is probably more white movement than Hispanic,” said Supt. Mac Bernd, “but not so much that we need to be very heavy-handed about it.”

District officials said earlier that if their study showed large numbers of white students transferring from schools in Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, they would recommend that the board rewrite its policy on transfers.

But given the results of the study, released Tuesday, Bernd said he will not ask the board to make any changes to current district policy.

According to district statistics, 274 white students, out of a total of 18,000 students in the district, are currently enrolled in schools outside their neighborhoods. Though many have transferred from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, a large number has also transferred between two schools in the same city.

The majority of the 115 Latino transfer students are from Wilson Elementary School and are a result of a recent boundary change.

Last year, the boundaries designating where students living on the west side of Costa Mesa would go to school were changed. A total of 77 Latino students who had attended Adams Elementary School continued there, even though they are now assigned to Wilson.