This bill counts

There’s a bit of good news to report from the overcrowded-classroom front: Many of California’s largest school districts are at last experiencing some relief, as enrollment has dropped in recent years. But there’s invariably a catch when it comes to schools. In this case, the problem is that the state’s formula for allocating construction money favors those districts where enrollment is growing, even though others may need it more. Fortunately, this problem can be fixed, and a bill on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk would do so.

The issue is illustrated by the experience of the Los Angeles Unified School District, where declining enrollment and the state’s notoriously poor record as a predictor of enrollment combine to complicate the problem. This year’s enrollment was projected to be 600,000, but 675,000 students showed up. The district estimates that such faulty figurings could mean the loss of $400 million over four years in school construction money, which is badly needed despite the enrollment dip because overcrowding is so severe. Without that money, L.A. Unified would have to shelve plans for 20 to 30 schools.

A sensible solution is offered by Assembly Bill 1014, which would allow schools to give the state a more accurate picture of projected enrollment than now possible. Under the bill, introduced by Majority Leader Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and passed by the Legislature, the state would consider new factors such as residential developments, pupil retention and birth rates when projecting enrollment.

The bill also would give districts more flexibility in using state matching funds where they are most needed. Currently, rather than fund a new school in an overcrowded area, the state requires districts to bus students to schools where there are empty seats. This may not be a big deal in a small town, but in L.A. that could mean sending a child from the port area of Wilmington to far-off Woodland Hills.

L.A. Unified grew by a whopping 209,000 students from 1980 to 2002, mostly as the result of unchecked immigration. Its enrollment may be dropping today, but it’s still playing catch-up in alleviating overcrowding. Now, after opening 67 of the 150 schools it plans to build by 2012, the district is moving students out of trailers and portable buildings and, increasingly, off of year-round schedules. We urge the governor to sign AB 1014, a key component in helping local school-building programs complete their work, the goal of which is to return schools to a two-semester calendar and provide students with a normal school day.