District cautious over proposed state budget

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- District officials reacted with a collective ho-hum to

Gov. Gray Davis’ initial state budget proposal, which downplayed

education to concentrate on the state’s energy crisis.

“There were no surprises -- well, the only surprise was that he was

very general in the concepts he proposed,” Supt. Robert Barbot said.

“They were good, but he was very general this time. Sometimes he is

specific about dollar amounts and where the money is coming from.”

As it stands, the most controversial education initiative would

lengthen the school year for middle school students on a voluntary basis.

The $100-million line item would offer school districts a monetary

incentive for adding 30 days to the school year for seventh- and

eighth-grade students.

District officials agreed more school days could potentially be a good

thing but said there are many questions that would need to be answered

before Newport-Mesa Unified School District would consider jumping on

board.

“I’d want to see what we’re giving up, where is the money coming

from,” Barbot said. “What are the trade-offs?”

Barbot’s other concern with the additional class time is that it be

well-spent.

While some students would benefit from additional time, he said, it

may not be the best thing for all students.

“We want to make sure were doing a good job with the days we have

before we add more,” Barbot said. “Class time is just a tool, but so is

quality of instruction, intensity of instruction, attention span.”

Three other major initiatives may have more of an effect on

Newport-Mesa, said Mike Fine, the district’s assistant superintendent of

business services. One is a $335-million item for professional

development in reading and math, another is a $15-million principal

training initiative, and the last is a $30-million intensive algebra

preparation initiative.

All three are positive programs, Fine said.

The algebra initiative would be similar to the many reading pushes of

the past several years, Fine added.

The principal training program, while a good idea, must be looked at

carefully, he said, because there is an expectation that districts would

be required to match state funds.

“Those three, I think, are all very positive things, and the middle

school one may be, but I see some huge hurdles,” Fine said.