Newport-Mesa district looking to raise the bar for students and spread kindness, superintendent says

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is raising the bar and focusing on kindness, Supt. Fred Navarro said during the district’s latest State of the Schools breakfast Wednesday morning.

During the event, which began just after sunrise in the Estancia High School gymnasium, Navarro outlined several substantial building projects the district has undertaken this year — including district-wide lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, a new 50-meter pool at Estancia and fresh sports fields at both Estancia and Corona del Mar High School.

The school district — which has an adopted overall budget of $318.9 million for the current fiscal year — also is investing in quality teachers and small class sizes, Navarro said.

He noted Newport-Mesa receives an overload of applications from teachers. Recently, there were as many as 3,000 applications for 40 jobs, he said. About 86% of district funds are devoted to teacher salaries and benefits, he added.

“They want to come here because we support our classes and we have a direction for our teachers to go,” Navarro told the crowd of dignitaries from across Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

Newport-Mesa is investing in “building and understanding an accepting climate at our schools,” he added. He referenced the district’s rocky spring, when photos surfaced showing local students at an off-campus party giving Nazi salutes around red plastic cups arranged in the shape of a swastika. The following week, Nazi posters appeared on the campus of Newport Harbor High School.

The district’s board swiftly condemned the actions and later hosted two community forums and created a Human Relations Task Force, which presented several recommendations in July to improve cultural understanding and acceptance throughout the district.

“Students who are suffering from poverty or are different ethnicities ... actually come to school already trying to make up their deficiencies that they perceive or they think others are perceiving in them,” Navarro said. “What we need to do is make sure everyone feels valued.”

He said the district has hired more social workers and psychologists to care for students with mental health issues and to better integrate students in special education programs. Navarro also noted that the district has made efforts in the last couple of years to encourage kindness.

As if on cue, Newport-Mesa students filled every corner of the gymnasium Wednesday morning, serving breakfast, clearing tables and handing out gift bags. Two lines of cheerleaders and other student ambassadors welcomed guests to the breakfast with a cheery hello.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation.

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