Schools Get State Funds to Reduce Class Size

By KATE FOLMAR and REGINA HONG

Dec. 3, 1996 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

With every eligible district participating, Ventura County schools scooped up $13.5 million of the $771 million in state funding earmarked for shrinking class size in primary grades.

“Every district that we were told was reducing class size has received some funding,” said county schools Supt. Charles Weis. “We’re getting 13.5 million more dollars to help our kids, so that’s great news.”

From tiny Santa Clara to sprawling Simi Valley, the county’s 18 elementary and unified school districts got their first official look at class-size reduction funding Monday, as announced by Delaine Eastin, California’s superintendent of public education.

Paying primarily for salaries, benefits, books and furniture, the state funding won’t actually be dispersed until early next year. It will cover the better part of salaries for the county’s 377 new teachers hired for the popular program.

“It doesn’t fully cover all the costs, but it’s wonderful,” said Supt. Mario Contini of the $187,850 in state money the Fillmore Unified School District will receive. “We’re thrilled to death at being able to start reducing class sizes. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while.”

With the help of the state money, about 20,900 Ventura County students are already feeling the benefit and breathing room of smaller classes.

The funding is part of a state initiative--approved in July--to improve reading and writing skills for California’s youngest students. As promised, school districts will receive $650 for every kindergartner and first- through third-grader in classes of 20 or fewer students. The state has set aside another $200 million to pay for the thorny issue of housing the smaller classes, about $4.4 million of which is earmarked for Ventura County schools.

Because of time constraints--smaller classes must be in place by mid-February--34 districts across the state did not apply for class-size reduction funding this year. Ventura County, on the other hand, had 100% participation, with many school districts paring classes by the first day of school.

“The one thing that’s very encouraging to me is that the districts in Ventura County moved very quickly on this,” Weis said. “I’ve heard that some other districts did not move as quickly and their students will not see the benefits of class-size reduction this year.”

Some districts, such as Conejo Valley, have already cut class size for all students in the first to third grades. But Ventura, cramped for space, is accomplishing the goal in phases with all its first-grade classes and an estimated 30% of its second-grade classes now pared down, according to Georgeann Brown, the district’s director of budget and finance.

Implementing class-size reduction in first through third grades, the 18,896-student Simi Valley Unified District is receiving $2.8 million, the biggest chunk given to any school system in the county.

Right behind Simi Valley in funding dollars is Conejo Valley, with $2.67 million. Even with state money, the school district will spend about $500,000 to pay salaries and benefits for its 80 newly hired teachers.

That funding “means that everything will go as planned and we will meet payroll,” Supt. Jerry Gross said. “But we still have funding to make up. The program is not fully funded, but our board has decided that we can absorb the shortfall.”

At the other end of the spectrum is the Santa Clara school district--enrollment: 29--which will receive $7,800 from the state. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade are taught in a one-classroom brick schoolhouse.

“This is kind of icing on the cake,” said Santa Clara School Principal Mary Marsh, who says the money may go toward furniture if the district decides to divide the school into two classrooms.

But numerous school officials are worried that the money provided for this school year may not be available in the future.

“I hope they continue to fund it next year, but there’s a fear that the funding will stop this year,” said David Gomez, assistant superintendent in the Rio School District. “Originally, the funding was supposed to be for three years, but there is some talk that [the state] will stop this year.”

Even with the $208,000 in state money, the district will have to dip into an estimated 20% of its general funds to offset the costs for hiring the district’s six new teachers to pare down the first-grade classes, Gomez said.

“I don’t think we can afford to do second grade next year; that additional 20% out of the general funds inhibits us from expanding. We’re hoping just to maintain first grade.”

In the 14,288-student Oxnard school district, which received $1.79 million, administrators hired the largest group of teachers in two decades this year, as a result of class-size reduction and increasing enrollment. Though the district will have to spend about $300,000 from its general fund to offset the cost of the smaller classes, administrators are grateful for the state help.

“Obviously, we could have never considered lowering class size without this infusion of money, so it’s a welcome addition,” Oxnard Elementary School District Supt. Bernard Korenstein said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Schools to Share Funds

Of the $771 million in state money set aside for shrinking class size in primary grades, Ventura County schools will receive $13.5 million. Each of the 18 elementary and unified school districts eligible to participate in the program received state funding to cover new teacher salaries, books and furniture costs. Here’s a district-by-district breakdown:

District: Funding

Briggs Elementary: $58,825

Conejo Valley Unified: $2,666,300

Fillmore Unified: $187,850

Hueneme Elementary: $641,550

Mesa Union Elementary: $52,000

Moorpark Unified: $1,173,900

Mupu Elementary: $17,550

Oak Park Unified: $508,950

Ocean View Elementary: $222,950

Ojai Unified: $385,450

Oxnard Elementary: $1,793,350