SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING PREVIEW

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Newport-Mesa Unified School District meeting

Study session today at 3 p.m.; regular meeting at 7 p.m.

District Education Center, 2985-A Bear St., Costa Mesa

Call (714) 424-5000 or visit www.nmusd.us

STRATEGIC PROGRAM REVIEWIn November, Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard ordered a review of nearly every major program in Newport-Mesa outside the core curriculum. Teams of administrators spent the ensuing months looking at Early College High School, Project ASK, Advancement Via Individual Determination and other programs that assist students in and out of the classroom.

Hubbard and other administrators have said that programs may be cut or reduced as a result of the final report, which will be shared at a 3 p.m. public study session. Some in the district have expressed hope that if funds are freed, they will go to boost teacher salaries, but Hubbard has said that this may not be the case.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Administrative Services Coordinator Laura Boss said the district is not making any recommendations at this time and that the board will merely discuss the report today.

GRADE CONFIGURATIONSJust over a year ago, more than 100 parents in the Costa Mesa Zone signed a petition asking the district to change the grade configurations at their schools. Three of the zone’s elementary schools — College Park, Paularino and Sonora — serve kindergarten through the third grade, while Davis Elementary School contains the fourth through sixth grades and Costa Mesa High School oversees all secondary education.

The board asked the district in March to give third-grade parents the option of sending their children to Davis in the fall or keeping them at their current campuses. More than half of College Park families opted for Davis, but the majority at Paularino and Sonora chose to stay put — particularly at Sonora, where 60 out of the 78 families said they supported the local school.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The board is not expected to take any action on the matter Tuesday.

Here are some items the board will consider tonight: