New Panel to Address School Overcrowding

Stressing the need to find long-term solutions to classroom overcrowding, the City Council approved plans this week to create a joint steering committee with school officials.

The committee would be made up of two council members, two planning commissioners and leaders of the Ventura Unified School District. The group is to study ways to deal with a growing capacity problem in Ventura schools.

The council agreed Tuesday to appoint Mayor Jack Tingstrom and Councilman Ray Di Guilio to the committee, and forwarded the item to the Planning Commission for its appointments.

By bringing the city’s three sister agencies together, officials hope that they can better address issues affecting local schools, such as the impact of new housing developments and plans for a new high school in Ventura’s east end.

“As the city comes into this, we are looking at a joint process,” said Steve Chase, assistant to the city manager. “We are looking at a feedback loop.”

Buena High School opened its doors to 200 more students than expected last year as a result of new housing developments.

To ease classroom overcrowding in the fall, the school board recently made the unpopular decision to send about 200 students across town to Ventura High School, which is at 82% of capacity. Buena is nearly 130 students above its capacity.