District takes over county school

Jessica Garrison

NEWPORT--MESA -- When classes start in the fall, the district will

have one more school than it planned for last spring.

The district’s special education department has taken over Skyline, a

county-run school for abused, emotionally disturbed children ages 12-18

that occupies classrooms on the campus of Monte Vista School.

Newport-Mesa officials formally took control of the 20-student school

Aug. 6, and have hired two teachers from Costa Mesa High School to run

it. They are spending this week painting, landscaping, and generally

making things homey.

All of the students who attend the school live at South Coast

Children’s Society, a Newport Beach residential treatment center for

abused children who are wards of the county’s social services system.

Many of the children in the program have learning disabilities or

special needs stemming from past abuse that requires them to be in a

small, intensive program.

For years the county administered the program, but Newport-Mesa

officials last spring decided they wanted to take it back.

The district has been working to revamp its special education programs

with the goal of putting as many students as possible in mainstream

classes. District officials decided they could better serve the students

at Skyline if they were already integrated into the district, said Gail

Hunt, a district special education administrator.

“We’re so excited about it,” Hunt said. “I always felt our kids needed

to be back in our district.”

The program’s goal will be to get as many students as possible into

regular programs at Newport Harbor High School or Costa Mesa High School,

and to make sure that the rest of the students follow the district’s

curriculum as much as possible.

Richard Sewell, who runs the South Coast Children’s Society, said he

is delighted the district will be taking over the program.

“I’m just thrilled,” he said. “They are making some real

improvements.”

A married couple, Bill and Connie Klooster, will be running the

program. Both are coming from Costa Mesa High School, where Connie taught

special education and Bill taught honors English.

The first thing the couple will do, said Bill Klooster, is change the

school’s name.

“Pending validation by the kids, I think we’ll call it ‘Enterprise,’ ”

he said.

The program will be hands-on and tailored to the children’s specific

needs, he said.

The Kloosters are planning to start a garden, where the children can

learn about science and grow their own food.

Then they will pick it, and learn about math while cooking delicious

meals for themselves.

Klooster added that he wants to give the children access to sports

teams and computer programs.

“We’re going to do something that has never been done in this

district,” he said, explaining that he wants the program to become a

model for alternative education programs throughout the district and the

county.

“If we’re given district support, this will be the best thing since

spinning tops,” he said. “It’s going to be way cool.”