o7Here are some items the board will...

o7Here are some items the board will consider tonight:

f7

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIGH SCHOOLS

A year ago, Newport-Mesa started a drive to make parents feel more

welcome at the district’s high schools; many administrators sensed

that parents shied away from visiting schools as their children grew

older. In the months since, principals have conducted surveys to

learn parents’ needs. Today, in the 5:30 p.m. study session,

representatives from each site will present their programs to make

their schools more family friendly.

WHAT TO EXPECT

School board president Serene Stokes observed that some changes

could be as simple as giving parents directions to the front office

or providing teachers’ e-mail addresses and phone numbers. She said

the district would work on implementing the family-friendly schools

program over the 2005-06 school year.

“There’s always a feeling with high school parents that their kids

would rather not have them around, so we want to change that image,”

Stokes remarked.

UPDATE ON

MEASURE A

This November, voters may approve Measure F -- or, as Deputy Supt.

Paul Reed dubbed it, “Measure Future” -- but Measure A, the $110

million school construction project passed by voters in 2000, is

still going strong. The district recently embarked on work at the

fourth and final group of schools and expects to have renovations

finished by early 2007.

WHAT TO EXPECT

District officials say that Measure A is on time and on budget,

although they acknowledge that the project will not cover all the

repairs envisioned in its 2002 implementation plan. Any work left

undone by Measure A will likely factor in Measure F if voters approve

it in November.