Wilson Proposes Expanded Class-Size Reduction Plan

Gov. Pete Wilson on Thursday issued what amounts to a challenge to school officials already bone-weary from battle: He proposed kicking in half a billion dollars to expand the state’s already ambitious push to shrink the size of primary grade classes, a program that has heartened parents but posed logistical headaches for schools throughout the state.

Speaking at a Long Beach elementary school, Wilson acknowledged the heroic efforts that some school districts have made to find enough space--in libraries, teacher lounges, computer rooms and portable buildings--for the additional classrooms needed for this year’s program to reduce the size of classes in three grades to 20 pupils.

But now is the time, he said, to reduce class sizes from kindergarten through third grade statewide.

“Not just three of the grades but all four grades will benefit from this revolution in the classroom,” Wilson said at Frances Willard Elementary School. “We have the resources to do it, schools have demonstrated the will to make it happen, and there is no reason to hold back and every reason to move forward.”

Wilson also offered more resources to help solve the space crunch facing many school districts that are trying to implement the popular smaller classes--a problem especially acute in large, crowded districts such as those in Long Beach and Los Angeles.

In addition to proposing $488 million for class size reduction in his 1997 budget, Wilson said he will ask the Legislature to put a $2-billion bond issue on the June 1998 ballot--$1 billion for new classrooms needed for class-size reduction and the rest to relieve unrelated crowding problems.

Wilson said he will seek a constitutional amendment that would make it easier for school districts to raise funds locally, by cutting from two-thirds to a simple majority the number of votes required to pass a bond issue.

But to win the political support needed to get fellow Republicans to go along, the governor plans to ask the Legislature to cap the amount of money that school districts can ask developers to pay to cover the cost of school construction--a proposal that education groups can be expected to fight. And he would require school districts to put up half the cost of any construction.

The announcements marked the first funding proposals by Wilson as he prepares for his 1997 “State of the State” address and the unveiling of his budget.

But while Wilson’s plan offered a New Year’s gift of sorts to school officials statewide, it was one that they might find hard to shun or accept, depending on their circumstances. Indeed, many officials voiced skepticism, wondering whether Wilson’s proposed $488-million allocation would be adequate to put students from kindergarten through third grade into smaller classes.

Slashing classes to 20 students enables teachers to give students more individual attention, and, it is hoped, improving their reading and math skills. But for each two classes trimmed to 20 students, a new classroom must be created and a new teacher hired.

“This is definitely a two thumbs up,” state Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin said, reacting to Wilson’s proposal.

Eastin had hoped for an even more generous proposal, one in which the state would put up $800 for each student enrolled in the smaller classes. Wilson is proposing $666, up from $650 this year. And she backs a $3-billion bond issue, rather than Wilson’s $2-billion proposal.

Nevertheless, she said, “This is the most exciting time in 20 or 30 years” for schools.

Teachers and administrators at Willard Elementary said they were thrilled with their smaller classes. But, as at schools throughout the state, putting them in place has not been easy.

The year-round school, which is among the most crowded in the Long Beach district, managed to reduce the size of its first-grade classes to 20 students but only by putting students on a staggered schedule that has the morning shift of first-graders starting the day at 7:30 a.m. and the afternoon shift ending the day at 3:30 p.m. In addition, for two hours each day, 40 students share a single classroom with two teachers.

Such arrangements have to be phased out by next year unless the school gets a state waiver.

The school already has five portable classrooms on its playground. Another four are on the way, to allow smaller classes for second-graders.

“I don’t think the playground could stand to be reduced anymore,” said Barbara Mignosi, a kindergarten teacher who, with 32 students, has yet to enjoy the benefits of smaller classes. Still, she has hopes.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “It’s such an opportunity for the kids at this school. It gives us more time to give more attention to each student.”

By February, when school districts must certify to the state the number of their smaller classes, 95% of eligible districts are expected to be taking part in the program to some degree. Most have achieved smaller classes in first and second grades. Far fewer have implemented the program in kindergarten or third grade.

In Los Angeles County, all school districts have applied for funds to reduce class size in first grade and about 87% have applied for funds for second grade. Only 41% of the districts expect to have smaller third-grade classes; only a quarter hope to reduce the size of kindergarten classes.

Reacting to Wilson’s proposal Thursday, many school officials worried that they have done almost all that they can--but that parents will expect them to do more than they can afford.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials, who have reduced the size of nearly 6,300 classes and have ordered 1,000 portable buildings, have said that expanding the program will be out of the question at most campuses.

The Inglewood Unified School District has applied for funds to reduce class sizes in at least some grades at nine of its 13 elementary schools. But further expansion could force the district to adopt year-round schedules or move classrooms off campuses to auxiliary buildings elsewhere in the city, an official said.

“For districts or communities that have space, this is a wonderful program,” said Assistant Supt. Rhuenette Montle. “For schools districts that don’t have space, this widens the distance between the haves and the have-nots.”

Some educators said it is risky to expand the class reduction program while school districts are still trying to make the initial phase work. The longer the program runs, they said, the more expensive it will become as the salaries of teachers hired to staff the new classes rise.

Wilson’s proposal is “very enticing but fiscally irresponsible,” said Conejo Valley Supt. Jerry Gross. “I think the governor and the Legislature must rethink their approach to this or else, down the road, they’ll find school districts in financial trouble, receivership and bankruptcy, the way this is structured.”

“It’s certainly a good show,” said Simi Valley Unified School District Trustee Carla Kurachi. “[But] when you manage your personal finances, do you plan on raises you might or might not get? Prudent people wouldn’t bet on something that’s not a sure thing. That’s not fair to our teachers, our kids and our community.”

Still, most educators applauded Wilson’s effort--even if they are worried about its implications.

Charles Norton, a spokesman for the Montebello Unified School District, said the benefits of the program are remarkable, noting how much easier it is for a teacher to instruct 20 students than 30 or more.

But Norton said he is preoccupied with working through the financial headaches of reducing class sizes for first-graders before compounding the problems by adding more grades.

“I’m trying to figure out where can I get another 60 classrooms and how are we going to pay those new teachers three years from now,” he said.

Orange County school officials said they would prefer having the state fully fund the current program rather than expand it.

“It’s a meaningful step,” said Capistrano Unified School District Supt. Jim Fleming. “But what concerns me is if the state doesn’t stop and take stock of what the real housing situation and costs are to best deliver the program, we could see this great initiative go under.”

At the Magnolia School District, a small Anaheim elementary district, officials said the additional funding would not benefit them.

“I love the news that we could expand,” said Supt. Paul Mercier, whose staff struggled to slash first-grade class sizes and some second-grade classes this year. “But if we don’t have enough funding for grades already dealing with smaller class size, I can’t take advantage of it. I can’t afford to go past what I have now.”

Even Wilson’s vow to sponsor the $2-billion bond measure next year was unsatisfactory to many educators, who said they need the money before then.

“The fact is, 1998 is a long time away,” Mercier said.

Capistrano Unified’s Fleming said expansion of the popular class reduction effort comes at “the expense of other programs in the district,” citing how it gobbled up money originally allocated to improve English instruction at the district’s middle schools.

“What happens is you end up serving a relatively small number of students, [albeit] on a significant matter,” he said. “While over time, students in the upper grades will see the quality of their programs diminish.”

Times staff writers Tina Nguyen, Douglas P. Shuit and Kenneth R. Weiss and correspondent Kate Folmar contributed to this story.