Class Reduction Focus to Be Put on 1st Grade
School board members say they will consider a state proposal to pay a bonus for reducing class size, but for now they will focus only on first grade.
Gov. Pete Wilson has offered $650 a student to school districts that reduce class size to 20 students through third grade. The proposal is expected to pay for about 80% of the cost associated with the reduction.
But complications such as a lack of classroom space and a shortage of qualified teachers will make the proposal difficult to implement in Santa Ana Unified School District, officials and board members said.
Board members generally favor reducing class size, saying studies suggest that doing so may be an important factor in improving a child’s ability to learn.
“First grade seems to be the bite we can chew and digest,” Trustee Robert W. Balen said.
The school board also reviewed the results of a parent survey to help determine whether to create more so-called fundamental schools, which emphasize parent involvement and dress codes.
Of those who returned surveys, 71% said they would enroll their children in a fundamental school. Such campuses now have long waiting lists.
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