Wilson Plan Seen as Way to Hit 20 Per Class

An infusion of state education funds being proposed by the governor could almost cover the entire cost of reducing class size to 20 students, school district administrators said Tuesday.9

Earlier this year, Gov. Pete Wilson proposed allocating $771 million to help reduce class size, a factor that many experts say is linked to a child’s ability to learn.

Based on the fact that the Santa Ana Unified School District would receive $650 a student, the district stands to gain $9.4 million, according to a report presented to board members.

The total cost of reducing class size for grades one through three in Santa Ana would cost $11.8 million.

The difference, about $2.4 million, could shrink under a proposal for an additional $200 million for facilities, administrators said.

Supt. Al Mijares said the board would consider passing a resolution on the class size at its July 23 meeting.

Mijares and board members called the governor’s proposal one of the most revolutionary in decades.

“The board is committed to doing this,” Trustee Audrey Yamagata-Noji said. “It’s ‘How best can we do this? And how quickly?’ ”