Middle College School Is Funded to June ’99

Despite declining enrollment at the Orange Coast Middle College High School, trustees have agreed to fund the program until at least June 1999.

Parents lobbied Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials to save the program, which allows high school students to study at Orange Coast College.

About 90 students enrolled when the school opened in 1996. Enrollment dropped to 60 this year. District officials said they spend $250,000 annually to run the school. With only 60 students, the district is spending more per pupil than at other high schools.

Trustees said they would give the program at least another year of funding because it has helped many students. The program is designed for intelligent students who are not performing to their potential; the grade-point average for most students increased significantly in the program’s first year.

Many dropped out, however, citing the difficulty of the college-level work. Others left when Sandy Hoover, the program’s founder, resigned in November. Some also left amid continuing debate about how many college credits the students would receive for certain classes.