District Fires Firm It Alleges Botched School Planning

The Santa Ana school board voted unanimously Wednesday to fire the consulting firm overseeing the district’s $300-million-plus school construction plan, alleging gross mismanagement that led to cost overruns and fewer new campuses than originally planned.

In a meeting that began Tuesday afternoon and ended early Wednesday, the board also decided to file a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based Del Terra Construction Group, contending that its alleged lack of performance constituted a breach of contract.

Del Terra President and Chief Executive Luis Rojas on Wednesday expressed surprise at the decision. His company, which has been paid slightly more than $2.5 million since being hired in 1999, “has met its responsibilities,” he said.

“We have a very different view than that of the district,” Rojas said. “We look forward to presenting the real history of the program in the very near future and have significant information to support our stance.”

Most of the district’s proposed construction projects will proceed, Santa Ana Unified Supt. Al Mijares said Wednesday. He plans to recommend hiring more staff to take over the massive building plan.

In 1999, Santa Ana voters passed a $145-million school construction bond measure to bring relief to a district where 80% of campuses house more students than they were designed to serve.

The bonds, when coupled with state matching funds, were expected to yield 11 new elementary schools and two new high schools.

Today, the 61,000-student district has yet to begin work on a single new campus, and officials now project the Measure C money and matching funds will fund only four new schools.

However, they say several expansion projects on existing campuses should increase capacity enough to eliminate portable classrooms and year-round instruction.

The slow pace of school construction in Orange County’s largest, most-overcrowded district was an issue during the recall campaign against former trustee Nativo V. Lopez, who was ousted in the Feb. 4 election. Lopez, a strong supporter of Del Terra while serving on the board, contended that the recall was fueled by opponents of a new elementary school planned in affluent north Santa Ana.