Board may not reduce class sizes The...

Board may not reduce class sizes

The Huntington Beach City School District board of trustees will

hold a study session after the March 2 election to discuss how its

outcome will affect the district’s budget plans.

On the advice of the district’s budget committee, Supt. Gary

Rutherford had recommended to strike funding for class-size reduction

from the budget for the 2004-05 school year and rely on community

fundraising to keep the program alive.

The school board declined on Feb. 17 to approve a first reading of

the superintendent’s budget recommendations, which included

additional cuts to other district programs.

“[The board] just wanted to have the administration look at the

recommendations and see if there are any other options,” board

President Robert Mann said.

Mann said he was concerned about the proposed elimination of

class-size reduction, a sentiment echoed by board member Brian

Rechsteiner.

“I think class-size reduction is a great program ... it’s also 29

jobs,” Rechsteiner said, referring to the anticipated layoffs of 29

teachers if the program is lost for next year.

The board plans to convene for a study session on March 5 to see

whether Californians approve Proposition 57, a $15-billion bond the

governor has said is needed to fix the state’s fiscal holes.

The budget committee’s current plans, which include cutting

class-size reduction, are based on proposals the governor released in

January. The governor has said drastic cuts will be required if

voters reject the bond -- which would force the district to come up

with a new set of budget proposals.

“If that doesn’t go forward, we’re back to the old drawing board,”

Rutherford said.

Landmark court case revisited

Students at Edison High School studied a little-known case on

Monday that led to California becoming the first state to ban

segregation in public schools.

The school held an assembly on Mendez vs. Westminster, the 1947

case that challenged segregation policies primarily targeting Latinos

attending the Westminster School District and other Orange County

districts.

Visiting Edison on Monday were Sylvia Mendez, whose parents filed

the suit, and Sandra Robbie, writer and producer of the KOCE

documentary “Mendez vs. Westminster: Para Todos los Ninos/For All the

Children.”

Robbie said 90% of Californians are unfamiliar with the case,

which was resolved seven years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of

Education case.

“[The students] were amazed to learn this history,” Robbie said.

Before attending the assembly, students viewed the documentary in

class. On Monday, they were able to hear Mendez’s perspective.

“The students could ask Sylvia what her experience was like,”

Robbie said.