Schools Get More Funds for Portable Rooms

Recognizing that school districts need to create thousands of new rooms to reduce the size of primary grade classes to no more than 20 students, state officials Wednesday set aside $95 million to buy and install portable classrooms.

The money comes on top of $200 million budgeted for that purpose and will be enough to cover the cost of 2,500 additional classrooms. At many schools, two classes now share a single room, or classes meet in converted teachers lounges, computer labs or libraries.

The extra money comes out of about $500 million remaining from the $2 billion in bonds approved by voters in March for elementary and high school construction or renovation projects. The State Allocation Board, acting on a request from Gov. Pete Wilson, decided Wednesday that some of the funds should be used to help reduce class sizes rather than repair or build schools.

“Through the dedicated efforts of teachers, parents and school administrators, California is implementing the class-size reduction program at a pace that critics claimed was impossible just a few short months ago,” Wilson wrote in a letter to the board.

But the state still needs to create 15,000 classrooms to fully carry out the program, said Wilson’s letter, which proposed trimming that number by 2,500.

“We can close this gap through the use of Proposition 203 funds,” Wilson said, referring to the bond issue. “What we have begun with this year’s class-size reduction initiative will make a lasting difference in the education of a generation of California children. Such an opportunity does not come often, and I believe it is incumbent upon us to make every effort to ensure its success.”

In addition to allocating the $295 million to date for buying and creating classrooms, the state has set aside $771 million to pay the salaries of new teachers needed for the additional classes. School districts have until February to begin participating in the program, but most got a jump on that deadline by starting school this fall with the smaller class sizes.