GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL -- Educationally Speaking

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education held more

public hearings than ever before to let the community have its say on the

2000-01 district budget.

The budget, which spells out how $146 million will be spent in the

next fiscal year, gives much more detail than ever before and ties the

money to clear, articulated goals. This is the first year that the goals

were determined before the money was budgeted.

The hearings had three speakers: two students of middle school-age who

had specific questions about the funding of programs at their schools,

and the president of the teachers’ union. Apparently, the rest of us are

satisfied with the allocation of dollars throughout the district.

However, there is a definite lack of equality when it comes to the

number of school personnel needed. For example, our traditional high

schools vary in population from 1,063 to 2,273 students. Yet, there is

almost exactly the same number of clerical workers at each school: The

school with the least number of clerical workers has almost double the

population of one that has more.

(The district has about 22,000 students and spends about $6,500 on

each student. However, because $6 million is spent on special education

students, the amount spent on each student is not equal.)

One campus has three counselors; the others have four and serve almost

or more than double the same amount of kids. Three schools have three

principals/assistants, while the biggest one has only four. The ratio of

support staff to students is even more skewed at the alternative high

schools, where the number of students assigned to counselors dips to 130

to one, as opposed to 568 to one at one traditional high school site.

Our elementary schools range in size from about 300 to 800 students.

Yet they each have about two clerical staffers and, except for the

largest school, one principal.

The budget has a line item for school safety and violence thanks to

grant funds that became available after recent school shootings

throughout the country. In Newport Beach, that money is being used to

fund police officers on secondary school campuses.

I would like to suggest a different strategy that wouldn’t take any

money, but just a few minutes of class time.

We recently hosted a dinner for a school choir that was formed at the

start of school. The kids are from different grade levels and take part

in different activities, so they did not necessarily know each other.

Within a few minutes, the teacher had them play some “games” where

they met and talked to each other, then discussed what they found out

with the group. Strangers discovered common interests and firmly placed a

name to the face they see each day in class.

These types of activities are often overlooked at the secondary-school

level. There, a person can sit in class all year, stereotyping fellow

students solely on activities or appearance. That makes it easier for

alienation to grow and hate to follow.

We should have students pair up with someone new each day in each

class and discover 10 things they have in common. Then, as they change

partners, they can find out who also shares those interests.

Let’s stop violence by making each student feel connected, instead of

hoping that some external force can save our students once the loner

brings a gun to campus.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She can be reached by e-mail ato7 GGSesq@aol.comf7 .