Educationally Speaking -- Gay Geiser-Sandoval

Facilities present challenges for all businesses. A company can’t

always have everyone working at a centralized facility. So, let’s say a

company had 23 people more than they could handle at one facility, but

they had a facility just a quarter mile away that was fully equipped to

house an additional 200 to 300 more people.

It will take away recreational space for the occupants of the facility

if they add portable buildings to accommodate those 23 people at the one

site.

It will cost $300,000 more to keep the 23 people at the facility they

are at now by adding four portable buildings. That is money that could be

used to give everybody a raise or buy necessary equipment to help

everyone at the company. The company already has lots of extra space at

most of its branches, and the amount of extra space is expected to grow

every year for the next 10 years.

Does the company spend the $300,000 to add portable buildings this

year? It might if the company is the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District. The School Board is in the process of determining facilities

issues for next year. It is predicted that the echo baby boom bubble has

reached sixth-grade, and will be hitting the secondary schools as the

elementary school population shrinks.

Even with the adjustments made to elementary schools for the 20:1

ratio in the lower grades, there are empty classrooms at most elementary

schools. Only one school will need four more rooms, while the neighboring

schools less than a mile away have three to 10 classrooms extra. Some

kids going to the school that needs extra classrooms don’t live in the

school’s neighborhood.

The way I figure it, we are going to spend about $13,000 a student to

be able to house the predicted 23 extra kids at that particular school

site, for a one-year solution. Then, in a couple of years, we will pay to

have someone haul off the portables and the platforms.

I would like to propose a less expensive solution. Offer the first 23

students willing to transfer to a different school a $1,000 transfer

bonus. Offer the PTAs that lure kids to their campus $1,000 per

transferred student for school expenses. That would only cost the school

district $46,000, and half of that money would be used for school

expenses. We would save at least $250,000 that could be used to boost

teacher salaries.

Everybody wins. Another option is to follow the kids home from school

and actually see who belongs at the school. Stay tuned to your school

board meeting to see what they decide to do. . . .

Now that it’s over, I have to say that one of my most fun volunteer

experiences this year was overseeing the Mr. Mesa contest. Volunteering

in elementary school, my big decisions were what color the cupcake

frosting should be. At the Mr. Mesa rehearsal, I was in charge of

ensuring that there were no naughty gestures, and the swimsuits were of

appropriate length.

Somehow, with just a few desperate phone calls to mommies, and a wee

bit of whining to boys, we persuaded 16 boys to strut the floor for

evening wear, swimsuit, talent, and personality rounds. At our Thursday

night rehearsal, things were a bit disorganized, and I wasn’t sure the

boys had ever watched a person model and pose. By Friday night, it was

like they drank Dr. Jekyll juice, and were transformed into talented

models and performers, in complete costumes, able to punt with the

glitches.

Thanks boys for sharing your talents with an auditorium of screaming

girls.

GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].