SCHOOL BOARD WRAP-UP: District sees student influx

The Laguna Beach Unified School District will have more students in September — instead of fewer as expected — officials said at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.

“This district is growing, which defies logic,” Supt. Robert Fraisse told the board. “We would expect [enrollment] numbers to be less, but something unique is at play here. This district is on sound financial footing and that could have significant ramifications for the new year.”

Administrator Nancy Hubbell, assistant superintendent of instructional services, told the board that principals had been anticipating fewer students this school year, but that has not been the case so far.

School begins Tuesday, and Hubbell said it is too early to definitively state how many students will join the district, because historically some who enroll do not show up, especially at the high school.

Private school students

Part of the influx appears to be a migration of students from private schools, which board members noted could indicate the faltering economy has forced some parents to pull their children out of pricey schools.

The influx is causing principals at the city’s four schools to juggle classes and schedules to accommodate the students.

High school largest increase

Laguna Beach High School is seeing the largest increase, with 80 new students, half of them freshmen, Hubbell said. If all show up for classes, the school will total 1,100 students.

The high school graduated a large senior class last year, and classes coming up behind them are smaller, Hubbell said. This is why the district is so surprised with the enrollment tallies.

“We seem to getting more [students] at every grade level,” she said.

Thurston Middle School is also seeing a large number of new students, many from private schools, Hubbell said. The school is expecting a total number of 662 students — up just two from the 660 total of last year — but 22 more students than projected, Hubbell said.

The two elementary schools are expecting enrollment to top 600, and some grades are full, Hubbell said. Each school will see about 25 more students than last year.

“We have solutions in mind if they [classes] get bigger,” she said.

One issue for the schools is how to keep class sizes at 20 per class, under a class-size reduction program assisted with state funds.

District financially strong

Laguna Beach schools are in a much better financial position than most other California districts, many of which were forced to issue layoff notices last March.

In Laguna, an assistant high school principal and other staff members have been added, and no layoffs occurred.

The district is a “basic aid” district, able to tap directly into the city’s property tax base, instead of relying on the state for funding on a per-pupil basis.

Not only is Laguna Beach insulated from the state’s fiscal crisis, but the city has not experienced plummeting property values as other jurisdictions have.

While in other cities property values have fallen, values are increasing in Laguna Beach, as they are in other high-priced, upscale communities, bolstering the district’s revenues.

State budget impasse

Despite the district’s relative economic strength, Fraisse said he was reluctant to commit to new expenditures — such as a proposed $60,000 increase in the district’s performing arts budget — until the state Legislature passes a budget.

“We need to know that Basic Aid is not in trouble,” Fraisse told the board.

Laguna Beach is only one of two Basic Aid cities in Orange County; statewide about 60 districts are able to tap into their own property taxes under the special program.

Performing arts increase

Instead of approving the performing arts budget boost Tuesday, the board will take it up again at the Sept. 9 meeting.

The funds are intended to replace funds raised by the district’s booster club for augmentations to the performing arts department.

Some board members said they wanted to provide the funds in order to achieve “parity” with athletic programs that have received additional funding from the district for programs sponsored initially by the booster club.

Board member Theresa O’Hare said she wanted to be certain the district really needs to supplement the arts program, which she acknowledged has grown dramatically.

“We need to be good stewards,” O’Hare said. “We don’t want to throw money at a program that has done very well over the years.”