School Construction Orange County

Architects unveiled the proposed $1.7-million redesign of the Buena Park Junior High School to the Buena Park School District Board of Governors this week. The governors will vote on the plan, which includes a brick-and-concrete amphitheater and a semicircular multipurpose room, during their regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The new construction is the last major project of the district's master plan, developed in 1984 when two junior high schools were consolidated. Supt.

In an early celebration of much-sought-after enrollment relief, county and Capistrano school district officials on Thursday cheered the groundbreaking of a new high school. Set to open next fall, Tesoro is the district's fifth comprehensive high school and the first high school built in Capistrano Unified since 1993. Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson said the school is needed to handle the "explosion of the population in this section of the county."

A Santa Ana neighborhood association has asked the Orange County Grand Jury to investigate the way the school district and city have handled plans for a controversial "space-saver" school to be built with state funds at a shopping center here. The letter, drafted by retired corporate attorney Merle Asper and approved by the board of the Northwest Neighborhood Assn.

Future homeowners in the Ladera planned community will be required to pay a yet-to-be-determined tax to build three elementary schools and one middle school in their community. Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District this week unanimously accepted a petition by the developers, DMB Ladera LLC and the Rancho Mission Viejo Co., to form a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District to fund school construction.

The Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education was a little overwhelmed Monday by an architect's conceptions of the campus of the $18.2-million Orange County High School of the Arts. "I don't know what to ask first," said Trustee Del Clark. "To me, it looks a little overwhelming. . . It looks like the Getty Center."

In an early celebration of much-sought-after enrollment relief, county and Capistrano school district officials on Thursday cheered the groundbreaking of a new high school. Set to open next fall, Tesoro is the district's fifth comprehensive high school and the first high school built in Capistrano Unified since 1993. Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson said the school is needed to handle the "explosion of the population in this section of the county."

Building plans for South Lake Middle School have been revised in a move that will add an extra $235,000 to the project's price and will provide the campus with high-tech capabilities. The revisions will provide a computer network capable of supporting more than 200 terminals throughout the campus, said Lloyd Linton, director of construction for the Irvine Unified School District.

Future homeowners in the Ladera planned community will be required to pay a yet-to-be-determined tax to build three elementary schools and one middle school in their community. Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District this week unanimously accepted a petition by the developers, DMB Ladera LLC and the Rancho Mission Viejo Co., to form a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District to fund school construction.

The Santa Ana school board voted unanimously Wednesday to fire the consulting firm overseeing the district's $300-million-plus school construction plan, alleging gross mismanagement that led to cost overruns and fewer new campuses than originally planned.

The state Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to place on the November ballot a record $9.2-billion bond measure designed to relieve California's needy public schools. The Assembly is expected to follow suit as early as today and send the measure to Gov. Pete Wilson, who announced that the "Legislature has met my challenge" to send him a bond bill he is happy to sign. "This is truly historic," said Sen. Dede Alpert (D-Coronado), who helped write the bill.

The Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education was a little overwhelmed Monday by an architect's conceptions of the campus of the $18.2-million Orange County High School of the Arts. "I don't know what to ask first," said Trustee Del Clark. "To me, it looks a little overwhelming. . . It looks like the Getty Center."

Architects unveiled the proposed $1.7-million redesign of the Buena Park Junior High School to the Buena Park School District Board of Governors this week. The governors will vote on the plan, which includes a brick-and-concrete amphitheater and a semicircular multipurpose room, during their regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The new construction is the last major project of the district's master plan, developed in 1984 when two junior high schools were consolidated. Supt.

A Santa Ana neighborhood association has asked the Orange County Grand Jury to investigate the way the school district and city have handled plans for a controversial "space-saver" school to be built with state funds at a shopping center here. The letter, drafted by retired corporate attorney Merle Asper and approved by the board of the Northwest Neighborhood Assn.

Building plans for South Lake Middle School have been revised in a move that will add an extra $235,000 to the project's price and will provide the campus with high-tech capabilities. The revisions will provide a computer network capable of supporting more than 200 terminals throughout the campus, said Lloyd Linton, director of construction for the Irvine Unified School District.

As voters in the Capistrano Unified School District go to the polls today to decide on a measure that would raise property taxes for new school construction, the Orange County district attorney's office is exploring allegations that district officials have illegally used taxpayer funds to campaign for Measure A. Deputy Dist. Atty. Connie Johnson said her office is "looking into" charges relating to the use of school funds to campaign for the measure, but she declined to elaborate, saying it was too close to the election.

Orange County voters gave pass or fail grades to an eclectic mix of education issues and candidates on the ballot, election experts noted Wednesday. County voters approved two state education bond issues, turned down a state school funding measure, and in most cases rejected teacher-union efforts to oust trustee incumbents. The Orange County vote almost dealt a death blow to a statewide proposition that, ironically, its backers had believed would pass because of Orange County support.