District receives unity support

Teachers and parents appear to support the Newport-Mesa school board’s plan to bring some uniformity to the district by converting all of the elementary schools to kindergarten-through-sixth-grade schools.

School board members were presented with a plan Monday, which Deputy Supt. Paul Reed described as “conceptual, feasible and desirable,” to make all of the district’s elementary schools open for kindergartners through sixth graders and turn Davis elementary into a magnet school.

“Well, I tell you, I’m in my 38th year in this district and I thought I was having deja vu. We’re actually going back to the original configurations when the district was unified,” said Jim Rogers, president of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers, the union that represents local educators. “There’s going to be a tremendous number of people that are going to be moving sites. I know there’s going to be some disruptions in their professional environment. But I know we’ll work through it.”

“I’m excited about it. I know the parents I feel I represent will be pleased with this report,” said Brian Valles, PTA president at Sonora Elementary School. Sonora would add fifth- and sixth-graders to its campus. “I think it’s harder for kids to move from one campus in the community to another. I think it’s important for them to stay in one community as long as they can.”

Students mostly welcomed expanding Davis elementary, a fourth-through-sixth grade school.

“You can help the little kids,” fourth-grader Alex Alvarez said.

“It might be cool so you can teach them some stuff,” fourth-grader Melinda Haley said.

Parents and students noted crowding could increase. “That’s going to be too much. We would have to wait for our lunch,” fourth-grader Aneessa Fordlow told his classmates.

Idling in her car waiting for school to get out, Claudia Dudier wanted to know if it would worsen morning and afternoon traffic.

For parents like Veronica Burnett, the changes are welcome, but too late.

“My kids were not happy about it,” Burnett said, referring to having to go from an elementary school to middle school to junior high and high school at Costa Mesa High School. Her daughters went from Paularino Elementary to Davis and eventually to Costa Mesa High School.

Reed’s presentation Monday was strictly informative. Encouraged by what they saw, board members instructed Reed to come back with a more detailed proposal for a vote. He estimates he could give the school board one by the end of January.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.