Morning, Afternoon Kindergarten Planned

To make room for an increase in new students, all schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District will hold morning and afternoon kindergarten sessions.

The plan, approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday, upset some parents because they fear using one classroom for two kindergarten sessions will affect the quality of education.

Others objected because their schools have spare rooms and will not be among those with enrollment increases in the fall.

But district officials, after more than a dozen hearings, said they felt the plan was the only way to accommodate the projected increase.

Newport-Mesa officials are expecting to enroll nearly 1,000 new students in the fall. Most of the increase will be in kindergarten and the first grade, according to a consultant hired by the district.

Officials have said that at least one of the district schools, Mariners Elementary, has successfully staggered its kindergarten classes for years and has maintained a quality program.