Smaller Third Grades May Be Too Expensive

There is no disagreement among board members of Newport-Mesa Unified School District that smaller classes for third-graders would benefit students.

Nonetheless, trustees said they are likely to vote Tuesday against limiting third-grade classes to 20 students next year because they simply cannot afford it.

“It will break us if we expand to the third grade,” said Martha Fluor, the board’s president.

Supt. Mac Bernd said Newport-Mesa would probably be the first school district in Orange County to halt the expansion of the popular program but predicted it wouldn’t be the last.

“A lot of boards are going to start making some tough decisions when they see this sapping money from other programs at the schools,” Bernd said.

Under a statewide program announced last year, school districts are eligible for additional funds if they limit class enrollment to 20 pupils in primary grades. They receive a $650 bonus for each student in a small class.

Even with the additional money from the state, having smaller classes came with a hefty price tag for some school districts.

In Newport-Mesa, the cost of hiring 67 new teachers and buying portable classrooms to make space for kindergarten, first and second grades came to $3.1 million last year. The state paid $2 million of that, but the district had to find the remaining $1.1 million.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Harper Community Center, 825 E. 18th St., Costa Mesa.