Cerritos Elementary may become a computer science magnet
Cerritos Elementary School could soon become Glendale Unified’s next magnet campus under a recent proposal to combat the school’s low enrollment by turning it into an attractive computer science school that equips students with coding skills.
In recent years, enrollment at Glendale Unified’s southernmost school has declined from a high of about 580 students in 2001 to 388 expected for the coming school year, said Kelly King, assistant superintendent of Glendale Unified.
Any time a school dips below 400 students, Glendale school officials keep a close watch on the campus. While Valley View Elementary in La Crescenta has also reported low numbers in recent years, it’s currently experiencing an upswing, she said, with nearly 450 students enrolled.
With approval still pending from the Glendale school board, Cerritos would partner with Code to the Future, an organization that provides on-site teacher coaching and training as they help schools become immersed in computer science education.
The board is expected to vote on the proposal next month. The cost for a five-year partnership with Code to the Future totals $266,000, or about $53,000 per year.
In 2013, school officials were unsuccessful when they applied for a grant for Cerritos that would have turned it into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics campus.
Despite not winning the grant, the school has since incorporated technology in the classroom on a daily basis, said Principal Perla Chavez-Fritz, with kindergarten students learning how to use Google Drive and sixth-graders creating websites.
“If you visit our school, you will see that technology is part of our students’ daily routine,” Chavez-Fritz told the school board.
Among Glendale’s 30 schools, Cerritos is consistently made up of a majority of students who reside in low-income homes, making them eligible for free and reduced priced lunches.
About 84% of its current students come from low-income households, while 54% of the population is made up of English learners.
“I cannot think of two more reasons why we should bring coding to these students to bring them all the opportunities to be part of that workforce,” Chavez-Fritz said.
When asked why the school is suffering from declining enrollment, Chavez-Fritz said parents have moved away because the cost of living near Cerritos is expensive.
“When they come to disenroll their students, they let us know the rents are too high for them,” she said. “They cannot afford the rents, so they’re leaving — not just the area — but the state. They really cannot financially live in California.”
If the board approves the plan next month, school officials would begin to transition the campus into a magnet this coming school year and fully launch the program in fall 2018.
School board members expressed support of the plan, but pressed staff to ensure the school strikes a healthy balance of boys and girls.
“I need a plan to how we are going to attract girls in [kindergarten], and I would like for staff to have a plan of a ratio,” said school board President Nayiri Nahabedian. “I really want girls to be able to have access to this fabulous program.”
About seven years ago, Glendale Unified tapped into a federal grant worth more than $7 million that helped turn Mark Keppel, Franklin and Edison elementary schools into respective visual arts, language and technology magnets.
This spring, Glendale school officials applied for a $6-million federal grant to turn Roosevelt Middle School into a magnet with an environmental focus. They are still waiting to hear if they’ve won the grant.
Elsewhere in Glendale, Clark Magnet High School, which was turned into a science and technology magnet in 1998, is one of the district’s highest performing schools.
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
