Schools receive funding for improved API scores

Angelique Flores

Local schools will receive $1.72 million from the state for meeting

their targets under the Academic Performance Index.

“We’ve done remarkably well, and all our schools are improving,” said

Jerry White, Huntington Beach Union High School District’s director of

curriculum development.

Schools that reached their target growth scores after taking the

Stanford 9 tests last spring will be awarded $63 per student from the

$227 million that Gov. Gray Davis earmarked for the program.

Edison, Huntington Beach, Ocean View and Westminster high schools

combined earned $512,381. Huntington Beach and Westminster were among the

county’s top 10 high schools in reaping the award money. Each high school

will decide how the funds are spent.

“We’re very happy for the schools that received money, but we think

that the schools that didn’t receive money worked just as hard,” White

said.

Although Fountain Valley and Marina high schools’ scores increased,

the targets for the schools’ subgroups didn’t meet the goal, which is why

they will miss out on the funding.

“I wish we had a way to reward all of them,” White said.

Nine of Fountain Valley School District’s 11 schools received

$321,852.

“We’re very pleased at how well our schools did,” said Catherine

Follett, Fountain Valley School District’s assistant superintendent of

instruction.

While Cox and Oka elementary schools met their overall target, the two

schools had subgroups that failed to meet the target goal, which

disqualified them from receiving awards.

“We look forward to all the schools getting an award next year,”

Follett said.

Many of the Fountain Valley schools will put their money toward the

before- and after-school remediation programs.

Seven of Huntington Beach City School District’s schools pulled in

$314,127 in awards.

Two schools were not eligible for funding. Perry Elementary School’s

scores improved but not enough to meet the target. Smith Elementary

School went down in its score.

Ocean View School District schools received $581,526. Westmont

Elementary School was the only school that did not meet it’s goal and

will not receive money.

Each school will deciding how to spend its money.