City, Schools Team Up on Cutting Class Sizes

Next month, thousands of Ventura students will return to overcrowded classrooms and aging school campuses.

But before the first bell rings, city and school officials hope to launch a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing class size and setting the community on an aggressive track to resolve crowding and maintenance problems.

“This master plan is a collaborative effort,” said Steve Chase, assistant to the city manager.

“We can’t continue to operate the way we have operated.”

Until now, the city of Ventura and the Ventura Unified School District have operated independently, with little interaction or communication.

Meanwhile, new housing projects have brought more students who have crowded old schools in dire need of upgrading.

Now, city and school officials have decided it is time to work together to solve some of the problems.

The first step is to create a 20-year plan that outlines school needs and goals. The plan will look at school properties that could be sold, potential uses for underutilized campuses, and financing options such as grants or government bonds.

The planning process will be launched at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at a community meeting at the Doubletree Hotel.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for this community,” said Chase, who will give a report on the school plan to the City Council today.

Specifically, he said the city intends to help the district market and redevelop its properties.

“This is something that superintendents and school administrators don’t do on a daily basis,” he said. “However, this is something that cities do all the time.”