New Rooms to Help Ease Class Sizes

New classrooms to be created as a result of the $88-million Measure R construction bond will make it easier for the Conejo Valley Unified School District to reduce class sizes for elementary students, and make district schools safer and more comfortable, officials say.

Funds from Measure R, passed by voters Nov. 3, will add 30 classrooms to the district, according to Supt. Jerry C. Gross.

“Kindergarten is the only area the district hasn’t been fully able to implement class-size reduction,” said Dolores Didio, school board president. “With Measure R, we might have the opportunity.”

Currently, 16 of the district’s 19 elementary schools have fully reduced sizes on the kindergarten level to no more than 20 students per class. Two schools--Madrona and Westlake Hills--have reduced class sizes for some kindergarten classes, while one school, Walnut, has not.

Each student in a reduced classroom brings additional funding to the district; the state gives districts about $800 per student in each classroom with a 20-to-1 pupil-teacher ratio.

Proceeds from Measure R will be spent on a number of projects, including safety- and health-related improvements to school facilities and updating school computers.

The bond funds will be repaid by property owners in the district at a rate not expected to exceed $29 per $100,000 of assessed property value over the next 15 to 25 years, according to district officials.