After-School Plan May Boom in Size

Garden Grove Journal
Thursday, November 9, 2006
Story by Jim Tortolano

If you think that school starts around 8 a.m. and ends around 3 p.m., well, that's so 20th century.

At Tuesday night's meeting of the Garden Grove Unified School District, the Board of Education voted 5-0 to apply for and accept funding to establish before- and after-school education and activities for up to 50 schools in the district.

The GGUSD currently has 10 school-sites in the existing 21st Century Community Center Programs funded by the State of California. If all applications are approved by Sacramento, 35 new elementary schools and five new intermediate schools will be added.

"It's a huge undertaking," said Dr. Laura Schwalm, superintendent of the district.

The project is intended to "provide safe and educationally enriching alternatives for children and youth during non-school hours." For the time being, all the program's activities will be after regular school hours.

Most of the programs will be at school sites, but in some instances, they will be held at the locations operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, with whom the GGUSD is partnering in this project.

The academic aspect of the program is "aligned" with the material being taught during the regular school day. There will also be "enrichment" and recreational opportunities.

Funding for the expansion is $4,844,100 per year.