Parents Happy to Camp at School

A small city of dome tents has sprouted on a Santa Ana sidewalk where scores of parents have been camping out since Wednesday morning in hopes of registering their children for fall classes at the highly regarded Greenville Fundamental School.

The annual first-come, first-served kindergarten registration ritual is a bit tamer than in previous years, when the line for Saturday’s registration started the previous Monday and by Thursday more than 100 parents had staked out a place in line. This year by Thursday, 57 people had signed up to register their youngsters.

Still, interest remains high in getting a coveted spot at the school, which attracts students from around the sprawling Santa Ana Unified School District, Orange County’s largest with about 56,600 students.

“If your child is having a problem, they give him the extra attention he needs,” said Frank Madrigal, who sought a place for his son Devin.

Madrigal was third on a list late afternoon Thursday. School officials doing a spot check determined that about seven people had given up or lost their place. One nursing mother was given special dispensation to leave the line and walk more than a block to her parked car so she could feed her infant without having to worry about losing her spot.

The hassle--cold nights and cold feet--is worth it, said the parents, most citing the advantages of Greenville and its longtime, dedicated staff as well as student peers whose parents put education first.

“You get the advantages of private school without having to pay tuition,” said Hector Ramirez, whose son Anthony is 4. “Three days of my time is not a whole lot of time to give to get years of quality education for my children.”

Most parents waiting with tents and camping gear agreed, saying they knew from personal experience that Greenville’s program, its staff and committed parents foster a superior learning environment.

Top school district officials dispute the widespread belief, though, saying that Greenville’s successful techniques have spread throughout the rest of the district’s schools.

“I don’t believe there is anything there that is not found at any other school in the district,” said Deputy Supt. John Bennett. “We have committed parents and staff and teachers and administrators at every school. When Greenville started 20 years ago, it was the only fundamental school at the time.”

Yet the perception that Greenville is somehow better was fueled by the state’s Academic Performance Index scores released this week. The scores are based on standardized test results that measure student performance.

Greenville scored 815 out of a possible 1,000 points. It was the only school in the district to best the state target score of 800. Greenville also ranked within the top 20% of state elementary schools, while the majority of the district’s other neighborhood elementary schools scored among the poorest third in California.

The fundamental program includes a strict dress code, required courtesy titles for adults, firm pick-up and drop-off rules and a strict attendance policy.

Daily homework begins with 10 minutes a night in kindergarten and runs to 60 minutes by fifth grade. Infractions or failure to perform adequately can mean return to a neighborhood school.

Greenville enrolls about 1,000 students and has a waiting list of 350 to 400 in the upper grades. About 150 spots open up in kindergarten each year, with siblings of current students given preference. That means there are 50 to 75 spots open for new enrollees.

Pressure to get into Greenville may ease this year, in part because the district was adding slots at Greenville and John Muir Fundamental School. It also opened Jim Thorpe Fundamental School in September, said Betty Wagner, principal at Thorpe. Thorpe, just a few blocks from Greenville, has an enrollment of about 800.

Registration for kindergarten slots at the other fundamental schools are scheduled for March 25 at Thorpe and March 18 at Muir, which has 930 students.

“With the addition of Thorpe . . . there is ample capacity to house any student whose parents want him or her enrolled in fundamental school,” Bennett said.

The first parents began inquiring about registration lines as early as last Friday, but school officials dissuaded them. No one lined up Monday or Tuesday, when it rained. But shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, Veronica Herrera, followed by Frank Madrigal’s wife, Maria, and several others were in line.

Herrera said she wouldn’t consider anywhere but Greenville. “The classes are smaller and the teachers are more involved,” said Herrera, explaining that her nieces and nephews already attend the school. “We want to keep it in the family.”