ENROLLMENT SURGES AT LOCAL SCHOOLS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Portable classrooms are being added and more teachers are being hired after enrollment in at least two school districts was higher than expected.

Westside Union School District's student population stands at about 7,744, about 85 students more than what was projected before classes started, with most of the increase seen at Esperanza and Rancho Vista schools.

``It's almost 100 kids,'' Westside Superintendent Regina Rossall said. ``Some parents have elected to go to Cottonwood (School) from Rancho Vista and Esperanza because there's more room and class sizes are smaller.''

Westside installed three portable classrooms at Esperanza for the Aug. 16 start of the school year and it is now full, Rossall said.

The three classrooms were put on asphalt west of the Esperanza cafeteria.

In addition, children who transferred to Esperanza this school year from other neighborhoods are being asked to return to their home schools.

At Rancho Vista, the district will be adding two portable classrooms on what is now playground space. ``That's where the infrastructure is right now,'' Rossall said.

Westside is looking to hire two more teachers at Rancho Vista, and grade- combination classes are being considered.

In the Keppel Union School District, an additional teacher will be hired and two portable classrooms will be installed at Alpine School after enrollment in grades fourth through sixth was higher than expected.

The school has 15 to 16 more students than expected spread through the three grades.

``You never know those things,'' Keppel Superintendent Tom Niekamp said. ``What we think is happening is housing that used to be vacant is being filled up with families.''

Also there has been some building of custom homes, Niekamp said.

School began Aug. 11 for Alpine School, which has 541 children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The average class size in grades four through six is about 33 students.

Keppel hopes to have an extra teacher hired by Labor Day, when typically Keppel schools experience a bump in enrollment, either because parents didn't realize school started in August or they had summer plans that kept youngsters from starting school on time.

The principal is evaluating which grade will get the extra teacher, Niekamp said.

The two portable classrooms should be installed by January, one for the additional classroom and the second one as extra just in case it's needed.

In the meantime, a resource class will be moved to another location to free up a room, Niekamp said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com