Irvine Co. to give school district $2.5M

Newport-Mesa elementary school officials had enough money for new science classrooms, thanks to voters who recently approved a bond to pay for them, but they couldn’t afford to put teachers in them.

Now they do. The Irvine Co. is giving the district $2.5 million over the next decade to hire full-time science teachers.

The gift, which will total $250,000 per year, would provide Newport-Mesa with roughly enough money to pay the salaries of four new teachers. The district ultimately hopes to expand the number to eight. With the recently passed Measure F school bond aiming to bolster science education for young students, administrators called the Irvine Co.’s donation a major asset.

“One of the things we know is that science is a kind of catalyst to get students excited in going to school,” Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard said. “Being able to keep them excited about learning science is the perfect avenue to do that, so we’re really thrilled about this very generous gift.”

Measure F, which voters passed last November, allows for new science classrooms at elementary schools but does not cover the costs of hiring teachers. The combination of state-of-the-art classrooms and specialized teachers, district officials say, should give students a boost in science by the time they reach middle school.

“One of the biggest problems we have is that you can’t teach science just out of a textbook,” said board member Serene Stokes, who first approached the Irvine Co. about getting the funding. “You have to have experiments to go with it, and it’s very difficult in an elementary school classroom to set up experiments for science. You can’t leave the science things out when you go on to math.”

At tonight’s school board meeting, the trustees plan to vote on accepting the donation. Board members said it was unlikely they would reject the grant. On Wednesday, Irvine Co. officials plan to hold a ceremony at Eastbluff Elementary School in Corona del Mar to present the gift formally to Newport-Mesa administrators.

The district expects to launch its new science program during the school year, with the four new teachers serving all fourth- through sixth-grade classes. Deputy Supt. Paul Reed said the district could provide some additional funds this year and will start making larger contributions beginning next year when Newport-Mesa hires more teachers. Some additional money will come from interest from an endowment that the Irvine Co. previously gave Newport-Mesa.

Also at the Wednesday ceremony, Eastbluff will open its new science classroom, which is paid for by district money and considered a model for the rest of Newport-Mesa. The classroom, which is in a portable trailer, features a video microscope, laptop connections and other equipment for all grade levels.

Eastbluff Principal Charlene Metoyer, a former science teacher, is thrilled to host the opening.

“If we had had this kind of equipment when we were little, NASA would be flooded with scientists,” she said.