Claudia Peschiutta
GLENDALE -- Some things in the draft environmental impact report of
the proposed Oakmont View V project may not be as they seem.
The projected effects of the 572-home development on the Glendale
Unified School District are based on information from the 1997-98 and
1998-99 school years and the report needs to be updated, Steve Hodgson,
assistant superintendent of business services for the district, said
Thursday.
Information provided by the district in 1997 had the project bringing
181 additional students into city schools.
"Whether that's still a good figure or not, we won't know for a couple
of months," Hodgson said.
Enrollments at Freemont Elementary, Rosemont Middle and Crescenta
Valley High schools -- the three campuses that could be affected by
Oakmont -- have risen since the 1996-97 school year. As of October 1999,
Rosemont had seen the most significant increase, with enrollment up by
141 students.
The latest district information available will be presented March 7 to
the Glendale Board of Education in a new "developer fee justification"
study. The document will give board members a better idea of the
mitigation measures that could be associated with Oakmont and help decide
whether current developer fees would be sufficient to cover the expenses,
Hodgson said.
The district normally charges fee of $1.93 per square-foot for
residential projects, he said.
Oakmont developer Lee Gregg said the influx of students would be only
a boon to the district, which has projected a significant decline in
enrollment over the next few years.
"All Oakmont does is help offset some of the state revenue the
district would lose because of declining enrollment," he said.
In November, Glendale Unified officials reported enrollment could drop
by more than 800 students by the 2003-04 school year. Since much of the
district's funding depends on daily in-seat attendance, fewer students
would mean fewer dollars for the district.
"I don't think it's necessarily as black-and-white as Mr. Gregg would
portray," said Jim Brown, superintendent of Glendale schools.
Though the district may experience a decline in enrollment, the three
schools in the Oakmont area are full.
"We're already over capacity at many schools in the district," Brown
said. "If we can't find additional space and money for new schools, fewer
students will help reduce the impact."
