Countdown to 2000: 1990s Schools

Andrew Glazer

New schools, tougher standards, smaller class sizes and three

superintendents defined the school district in the 1990s.

New mandates imposed by the state in the late 1990s required students to

pass exams to move on to the next grade. The idea behind the tests is to

put an end to “social promotions,” which historically allowed students to

almost automatically advance to the next grade each year.

The new tests also will make teachers and schools more accountable for

their performance. Students’ test scores will be measured against state

standards, and teachers and schools will be reviewed when student scores

consistently fall short of the state standards.

In the 1990s, school enrollment in Newport-Mesa grew to approximately

25,000 after an exodus in the 1980s brought it down to nearly 15,000. For

the first time since the 1970s, the district began opening new schools to

accommodate the influx of students.

As class sizes grew, a state mandate turned things around by requiring

one teacher for every 20 students in each kindergarten to third-grade

classroom.

In the 1990s, three superintendents managed the district. John Nicoll

left after 21 years as superintendent in 1993 after the embezzlement

scandal.

Mac Bernd, known for turning around districts in turmoil, replaced Nicoll

for nearly five years, but then abruptly left town for a post in

Arlington, Texas. In 1998, Robert Barbot was appointed superintendent. As

the decade comes to a close, Barbot is still the acting superintendent.

SOURCES

Newport-Mesa School District

Daily Pilot