Another delay for Newport Coast Elementary

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Students of Newport Coast Elementary School will not

be moving into their new classrooms Jan. 8 as scheduled.

The completion date for the school has been changed, again, to Feb.

26, district officials said Thursday.

The school, at the corner of Newport Coast Drive and Ridge Park Road,

was originally scheduled to open Sept. 5 with 350 students in

kindergarten through sixth grade. But that was postponed to Jan. 8

because of construction-related delays.

Enrolled students have spent the first half of the school year at

Lincoln Elementary School in Corona del Mar.

The latest delay stems largely from mismatched window parts that had

to be reordered, as well as from the extra time it’s taken to tie up

loose ends, said Mike Fine, Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s

assistant superintendent of business services.

“A little bit of everything needs to be done,” he said, including

carpets, playgrounds and cabinets.

The new date was chosen because schools will be closed the week before

for Presidents Week. That time will be needed for teachers and staff to

move in and set up, Fine said.

“That will also give parents and students the opportunity to visit

their campus and get oriented,” he said. “What’s magic about Feb. 26 is

it takes pressure off the people moving in.”

There is no reason to wait to move until the next school year, Fine

added.

“The little things, like broken door handles, will go on for months,”

he said. “But the school will be ready.”

Fine added that the delay will not significantly increase costs.

Students and parents are disappointed by the postponement, Principal

Monique Van Zeebroeck said.

“But they all understand the importance of doing things right,” she

said. “It’s one thing to be ready but it’s something else to be ready for

the kids.”