A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

A Back to School Special Report on the Baby Boom Echo: America's Schools Are Overcrowded and Wearing Out -- (September 8, 1998)

California

Once again, California leads the nation in projected student growth. Estimates show that overall enrollment will increase by 15 percent between 1998 and 2008, the largest increase in the nation. Enrollment in grades 9-12 will grow by 33 percent. Four districts, Fresno Unified, Elk Grove Unified, San Diego City Unified, and Moreno Valley Unified, appear in the top 25 districts with the largest enrollment increases between 1985 and 1995. More than 30,000 additional classrooms will be needed to accommodate this growth. State officials expect that total enrollment will cross the six million mark by 2002, and that it will take $4 billion to construct enough schools to meet the need.

Over the past ten years, California's primary means of financing school improvements has been through state and local school construction bonds. In November, California will put another state school construction and repair bond on the ballot. About $6.7 billion of this $9.2 billion bond measure would be used to construct or repair elementary and secondary schools, with local districts providing a match of half the costs. Los Angeles Unified School District is counting on using nearly $1 billion from last year's approved $2.4 billion bond measure to finance an ambitious building program. School officials are concerned that even the $2.4 billion will not cover the growing list of school repairs. And school enrollment continues to increase. A bulge in primary grade enrollment will peak in 2006, resulting in a chronic classroom shortage. The same year, school officials say, there will be no room for nearly 20,000 high school students.

High student enrollment growth is not restricted to the urban areas of California. Suburban areas are also experiencing high growth. Capistrano Unified School District had a K-12 enrollment of 34,929 students in 1995, up from 24,846 in 1985. The state projects an enrollment of almost 43,000 for this district in 1998-99. Vista Unified School District experienced a 40 percent enrollment increase between 1985 and 1995, from 17,162 students to 24,094.

K-12 enrollment grew from 23,402 in 1985 to 30,043 in 1995 in Poway Unified School District. One way that Poway has dealt with its 28 percent growth was by building eight schools since 1990. Five of these schools were financed entirely by the State School Building Program and three were financed by a combination of state and local funds. Poway also uses 546 portable buildings to serve students. The district estimates that the costs of their current construction and modernization projects total over $82 million. The total estimated cost of modernization projects over the next ten years is almost $32 million. The district reports that school overcrowding is putting a burden on space, teacher-pupil ratios, learning resources, and programs like music and athletics. Between 1985 and 1995, Clovis Unified School District's enrollment grew from 21,299 to 29,522 students. Clovis has passed three bond measures since 1986 to deal with this increase. These three bond measures together total over $206 million.


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Last Updated -- September 7, 1998, (pjk)