Elementary District Has 88 New Teachers

Eighty-eight new teachers have been hired by the Oxnard Elementary School District this semester.

More teachers were needed because of class-size reduction programs instituted in kindergarten through third grade, normal enrollment growth and teacher retirement and attrition, said Supt. Richard Duarte.

In recent years, the district has twice hired more than 100 teachers in a single year, Duarte said.

Thirteen teachers have joined the faculty at Elm Elementary School, which has recently been expanded, Duarte said.

“We had discontinued the use of Elm School except as a campus that provides intersession programs for our students when they are not attending regular classes,” Duarte said. “But with the [space] crunch the district has experienced . . . we determined that we needed to increase Elm School’s capacity from 420 students to 800 students.”

Marina West Elementary has nine new teachers. Harrington, Kamala and Sierra Linda elementary schools have seven each.

Other elementary schools that have added faculty are: Rose Avenue, with six new teachers; Lemonwood, five; Brekke, Chavez, Curren and Driffill, four each; McAuliffe and McKinna, two each; and Ramona, Ritchen and San Miguel, one each.

Fremont Intermediate and Haydock Intermediate have each added three teachers. Frank Intermediate has added two.

Three new teachers have joined the district’s pupil services staff.