Board Eyes Options for Classroom Space

In its continuing effort to cut elementary class sizes, the Ventura Unified School District is considering reopening a Ventura Avenue elementary school and building an east-end campus.

Ventura Unified trustees on Tuesday had no specifics on where the additional $2.5 million needed to construct a school would come from but did not close the door to the idea of putting a bond measure on a future ballot.

Since Gov. Pete Wilson began offering money to help schools reduce some classes to 20 students, Ventura has pared all its first grades and about 10% to 15% of its second grades.

District officials predict that they will finish reducing all second-grade classes by next September, but estimate that they need at least 24 more second-grade classrooms for next year and 14 additional classrooms to maintain the smaller first- and second-grade classes established in September.

The district is spending about $20,000 for an architect to evaluate Ventura Avenue School, which closed in 1982. Now leased to a nonprofit group, the school could provide 10 classrooms and space for additional portable rooms, said Jorge Gutierrez, director of facilities and maintenance for the district.

In addition, the district is in the process of selecting an architect to explore the costs of building an elementary school on a 20-acre, district-owned plot near Darling Road and Albany Avenue, Assistant Supt. Joseph Richards said.

The superintendent’s office estimates it would cost $7.5 million to construct an elementary school. The district currently has $5 million from developers’ fees.

So far, the board has not ruled out any options presented by the superintendent’s office during a special study session held Monday. Those ideas to reduce class sizes include bringing in more portable classrooms, making rooms such as libraries and teachers lounges into classrooms, going to a multitrack schedule or housing fifth-graders in middle school.

“Everything is a possibility, but just because we’re talking about it doesn’t mean we’ll do it,” board President Cliff Rodrigues said.

Another issue the board will have to face soon is whether the next grade to be taught in smaller classes will be kindergarten or third grade.

“We don’t want to be caught on the short end of the stick,” said Supt. Joseph Spirito, who wants to reduce lower elementary grades as soon as possible. “We want to be ready.”

In addition, there already are rumors that the state will earmark money to reduce fourth-grade class sizes by next year, Spirito said.

The district is considering several other sites as possible places for additional new schools. Community members, district officials, an architect and an engineer inspected the closed-down Washington School on MacMillan Avenue last week. The board has made no decision on what to do with the building.

Other plots of land the district is looking into include a 40-acre agricultural plot near Tamarin Avenue and Ralston Street as well as a 10-acre plot east of Saticoy Avenue and Foothill Road.