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Published on 09/14/1998 All articles from this issue

State of the schools

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By Linda Taaffe

Town Crier Staff Writer

Enrollment is increasing, but so are test scores and money for class-size reductions

Despite the ongoing demands to reorganize space and teaching staffs over the past two years, the state's $1 billion class-size reduction program appears to be working at Los Altos and Cupertino Union school districts as they enter the third year of reductions this fall.

Students at both districts scored above the national average on the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exam last spring. And teachers at both districts say there are less disciplinary problems in the classroom, students' writing skills have improved and their communication with parents has increased.

"Successful schools are implementing higher academic standards and are training their teachers to meet their students' needs," said state superintendent Delaine Eastin during her back-to-school message this month.

In the Los Altos School District, which reduced its kindergarten through grade three classes to less than 20 students over the last two years, modernizing its facilities is a critical part of maintaining high student achievement.

The district is pushing to pass a $94.7 million construction bond in the Nov. 3 election to upgrade its buildings.

The Cupertino district, which expanded the reduction program to three grade levels this fall, is working to reconfigure and finish construction at its school sites as well as expand its academic programs.

Preparing students for the 21st century at the high school level means assessing academic programs at both the Mountain View-Los Altos and the Fremont high school districts.

The Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District is busy implementing programs to support students who need additional help. The Fremont Union High School District is working with a professional team to improve student performance. The district is also set to begin upgrading its facilities under its $144 million construction bond, which passed with a 78.8 percent majority last spring.

Los Altos School District

The Los Altos School District opened its doors with 46 new teachers, 3,748 students - 147 more than last year - and top STAR results in the county.

School officials said the 4.1 percent enrollment increase was expected; hiring new teachers was beneficial, forcing the district redefine what should be taught at each grade level; and the results from the STAR exam were higher than expected.

The biggest challenge remains with the district's aging facilities, administrators said.

According to the United States General Accounting Office, almost two-thirds of America's 80,000 public schools need "extensive repair." School officials have called the condition of public school buildings a "national crisis."

Los Altos schools are no exception.

In an abandoned video store at Blossom Valley Shopping Center, two volunteers stuffed phone lists into folders last week in preparation for the first phase of the campaign to support Measure H, the Los Altos School District's bond measure. By next week, the campaign headquarters will be filled with telephones, computers and volunteers pushing for the measure's approval on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The bond promises to repair and renovate the district's nine schools and add permanent classrooms to handle increased enrollment and to replace portable classrooms.

Campaign co-chairwomen, Nanette Freedland and Tania Granoff, said they have worked up to 12 hours in one day calling potential supporters and organizing paperwork. Working with about 15 other volunteers, they called parents every night last week, Freedland said.

"We've had a very positive response," Freedland said. "People are really committed to the cause."

Granoff said the real challenge will come when they begin branching out to the undecided voters.

Superintendent Marge Gratiot said the campaign is just the beginning.

"After the bond measure passes, it doesn't mean life is going to get easier," Gratiot said. There's going to be boundary reconfigurations and timing and implementation issues, she said.

Gratiot said if the bond passes, the district plans to begin construction by next summer.

In the meantime, volunteers plan to canvas Los Altos neighborhoods door to door.

"This is a real grass-roots effort," Freedland said. "We plan to do this one vote at a time."

Cupertino Union School District

Students in the Cupertino Union School District began this school year with an additional school, a new language program, the expansion of the class size reduction program to three grade levels, and 130 new teachers.

The district, which includes 21 elementary schools and four junior highs, including Montclaire School in Los Altos, opened Eaton School in Cupertino as its 21st elementary school. Officials said the school's reopening will better accommodate the 15,250 enrolled students - 250 more than last year - and better support the expansion of its class reduction program. School officials also added portable classrooms and modulars, increasing the district's classroom count by 50. Montclaire added one modular to its campus.

Superintendent William Bragg said the district is examining how to fund the final renovations at Eaton and how to reconfigure school sites to accommodate a fifth intermediate school.

Bragg said the reopening of Eaton as a K-5 school this year has "helped a great deal with facilities."

The district's space crunch spurred controversy last spring after an advisory committee suggested multi-track, year-round schooling, adding portable classrooms and adding grade six to the junior highs to relieve overcrowded classrooms.

The committee estimated that the district would need 53 additional classrooms in order to expand the class size reduction program as well as 10 classrooms to handle growing enrollment this year.

Bragg said he attributes the district's space problem to the class size reduction program more than to growing enrollment.

Bragg said the district will reduce the class size in upper grades twice a week this year as well as enrich the curriculum through a pilot music program that could be launched at Montclaire. The program combines half of one class with a full class, allowing the remaining portion of the class, about 15 students, the opportunity to learn in a smaller group setting.

Bragg said the STAR test "reinforced what we are doing. We did quite well in math and showed improvement in language arts. That's the one piece I feel confident about."

The Chinese Mandarin program developed by parents earlier this year came at a time when most schools were struggling to eliminate bilingual education as mandated by Proposition 227.

After heated debates among residents, the board agreed to launch the language program in kindergarten as part of the district's alternative education program at John Muir School in Cupertino.

The 19 English and non-English speaking students enrolled in the dual-immersion class will learn in both Mandarin and English.

Bragg said the district is also completing the final construction phase of the $70 million bond measure passed in 1995. He said renovations at the remaining five schools are nearing completion.

"We're really in good shape and well set to move forward," Bragg said.

Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District

With facility upgrades continuing on schedule and a technology plan in place, officials at the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District are emphasizing ways to improve student achievement.

"We're looking at using technology as a tool rather than a focus this year," said Los Altos principal David Brazer.

Los Altos High's "Algebra Skills" class is part of that plan. The optional class provides enrolled students an additional period to review algebra and "help with the gaps," Brazer said. Brazer said the class comes at a time when fewer pre-algebra classes are being offered. He said about 25 students are already enrolled in the class. Brazer said he hopes the class will help catch students who may otherwise fall in the cracks, and help eliminate some of the low grades.

Mountain View High plans to launch a college day this year to help prepare students in every grade level for college, whether that means filling out applications or learning how to take better class notes, said district Superintendent Rich Fischer.

Fischer said the district is also trying to speed up construction projects this year.

"We have additional revenues because most projects have come in under budget. We're going to look at those projects we were going to put off until the end to see if we had enough money, and start them as early as this summer," Fischer said.

Fremont Union High School District

Fremont Union High School District, which includes five high schools and a student enrollment of about 8,650 - including 288 from Los Altos - began a three-year partnership this month with the Community Training and Assistance Center in Boston as part of its effort to improve educational services.

Through the partnership, the nonprofit group will examine student performance classroom by classroom and look at factors that inhibit or contribute to student learning. The district will use this information to train and guide staff members and to implement reform strategies.

Although Standard Achievement Test results are up overall in the district with a verbal mean of 547 and a math mean of 610, Superintendent Joe Hamilton said the partnership is "part of our whole stress to do a better job of gathering data and make better decisions about the implementation of programs."

The assistance center has improved student performance by 70 percent at other participating schools over the years, said a spokesman from the center.

The program comes at a time when the district is feeling the stress of changing demographics and the need to train an avalanche of new teachers. Hamilton said the district hired 40 new teachers this year.

The program will enable the district to better get into the "minds of teachers," and get them all on the same track, he said.

Hamilton said the increase in student diversity over the past eight years "has been a positive influence, but there are stresses with any change." He said the district plans to implement programs that would encourage more dialogue and cultural understanding.

Students can expect to see the start of school face lifts by this summer, Hamilton said. Hamilton said he plans to have some at least some of the smaller construction projects started on every school site by next summer.

"I think it's important that we start to utilize the money voters approved as soon as possible," he said.

Renovations at Homestead will include adding classrooms, expanding the library, repairing a leaky roof and upgrading lighting, flooring, carpeting and restroom facilities.