More Funds to Cut Class Sizes Sought

Putting more dollars behind the push for smaller classes in California’s public schools, Gov. Pete Wilson today will propose that the state close a $151-million shortfall in funding for the popular program.

Senior Wilson education aides who asked not to be identified said Monday that the governor will ask the Legislature to divert money originally budgeted for hiring teachers and other costs to help create new classrooms.

Aides said the move signals that the class size reduction effort--which is costing the state $971 million this year--will get a generous portion of the new budget that Wilson will announce in January.

“The governor’s priority for the remainder of his administration is to see that class size reduction can fully flourish,” an aide said. “We are sending the strongest political message there is to the education establishment.”

Wilson administration officials said local school districts were always expected to pick up part of the cost of the program, which was approved over the summer. But some school districts have since complained that the state’s support was not enough.

The state is providing districts with $25,000 for each classroom that is built or bought to help reduce class sizes from 30 to 20 students in first and second grades. Districts with enough space on their campuses also could include kindergarten or third grade in the program.

In October, qualifying districts asked for funding for about 14,000 new classrooms, but the money budgeted by the state was only enough to cover about 8,000.

If the Legislature goes along with Wilson’s proposal, districts would receive funding for all 14,000.

Most of the money would come from a $141-million excess in the fund set up by the state to help the districts hire teachers to staff those classrooms and cover other costs.

Wilson will unveil his proposal at a Sacramento-area elementary school. Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) will introduce the necessary legislation in January.

The plan would mean an additional $8.5 million for the Los Angeles Unified School District. But the district said it will spend far more than it receives because each portable classroom costs $50,000 or more to install.

“It’s good, everything helps,” said Beth Louargand, who manages the district’s facilities office. “But it sure would be nice to get the whole amount.”

The Long Beach Unified School District, which has been among the most aggressive in the state in taking advantage of the program, will get another $750,000 if the Wilson plan finds support in the Legislature.

“We’re delighted to see the possibility of full funding of these additional classrooms which are urgently needed this year,” district spokesman Richard Van Der Laan said.

Not everyone is so supportive of the plan.

Robert Cornelius, assistant superintendent of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, said he would prefer that the governor simply hand out more money for operating costs rather than shift funds to cover capital expenses. Although Saddleback will receive about $5 million in operating funds to reduce class sizes in kindergarten and first and second grades, the district still will spend about $500,000 of its own funds, he said.

Not all school districts will share in the additional funds. Some, such as Pasadena, did not meet the stringent rules for receiving financial help to pay for the program’s capital costs. Others will not receive additional funds because they had only requested money for first-graders.

Mike Vail, a senior facilities official at the Santa Ana Unified School District, said a statewide bond issue will be needed to create a long-term solution to the space crunch that is limiting the ability of many districts to participate fully in class size reduction.

The Legislature chose not to put such a bond issue on last month’s ballot, but some legislators will make another run at it for next year’s ballot. Wilson aides said the governor has not decided whether to support the proposed bond.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin said in a statement Monday that she will support Wilson’s plan. But in the long run, she said, the state will need to issue bonds totaling $3 billion or more to cover construction and modernization costs.

“The lack of space must not be allowed to stop or slow the implementation of this pivotal education reform,” she said.