5 Schools May Trim Kindergarten Classes

Kindergartners at five of 18 Conejo Valley elementary schools could wind up in smaller classes come September.

Under a proposal that school trustees will consider Thursday, campuses that have enough space for kindergarten classes of 20 or fewer students would be allowed to participate in the statewide class-size reduction effort. Those without extra room would not.

“The original mind-set was that [class-size reduction] was an all-or-nothing kind of thing,” said Barbara Ryan, the district’s director of elementary education. “But the way the law is written, it can be done class by class in schools. . . . If you are able to do it at certain schools, why wouldn’t you do it?”

Already, first-, second- and third-graders in the Conejo Valley Unified School District sit in classes of 20 or fewer students, with the state kicking in $650 for every student in trimmed classes. To pare those classes, the school district has purchased portable classrooms and taken out more than $2 million in loans.

While this year’s proposed state budget offers more money for class-size reduction--$800 per student--officials say the school district cannot afford to trim every kindergarten class.

“Even if the state increases the funding to $800, that would pay for teachers’ salaries and the like, but it would not pay for facilities,” Ryan said.

But five lucky elementary schools--Acacia, Conejo, Cypress, Maple and Wildwood--have extra space for smaller classes for their anticipated 350 to 375 kindergarten students.

That leaves trustees to decide several questions: Should kindergarten classes only be whittled across the board? Would trimming kindergarten classes at some, but not all, elementary schools pit one campus against another? And, is it fair to prevent schools that have enough space for class-size reduction from moving forward?

A final decision on the matter is not anticipated until the school board’s July 10 meeting.