STILL GROWING: It’s already on a year-round...

STILL GROWING: It’s already on a year-round schedule, so when more kids enroll in Oxnard schools, there’s only one thing to do: Build new ones. . . . The Oxnard elementary district has been opening a new school about every two years and typically hires a dozen new teachers each year, Assistant Supt. Bernie Korenstein said. . . . “We just added a kindergarten class because every other class was full,” he said. . . . Although smaller, Oak Park Unified is one of the county’s fastest-growing districts. Its newest school opened Monday (B6).

SEEING BLUE: Parking illegally in a handicapped spot can get you a $250 fine--more in some cities. But disabled advocates say tickets are rarely issued. Now Oxnard is thinking about deputizing citizens to report offenders (B1). . . . Linda Galbraith, a wheelchair user in Oxnard, cites several misconceptions: Blue spaces are reserved only during business hours (false); disabled people never use them (false); able-bodied motorists can park there if they have a borrowed handicapped placard (false and fraudulent). . . . The DMV has issued 15,532 placards and 703 license plates to disabled motorists in Ventura County.

HOMES SELLING: The flurry of activity at Ventura County mortgage brokers is not entirely due to people refinancing their homes. Home sales are also up (Valley Business, Page 12). . . . Sales of existing homes rose 35% in August contrasted with the previous year. But the median price was the same: $215,000.

TEA TIME: How to take your lumps--as in “One lump or two?”--is the subject of a one-day class at Oxnard College titled “The Art of Afternoon Tea.” The four-hour class Oct. 2 will show how to prepare dainty sandwiches and scones, how to set the table--and how to avoid a fatal faux pas. . . . “There’s a very definite way of doing things,” said instructor Barbara Neal-Peebles. . . . A 10-minute tea break is a wonderful restorative, she said. “If you take time for tea and 10, your whole afternoon goes much smoother.”

Largest Districts

Enrollment at Ventura County’s largest school districts: Simi Valley Unified: 18,606 / + .8% Conejo Valley Unified: 17,540 / + .3% Ventura Unified: 14,915 / - 1.3% Oxnard Elementary: 12,870 / + 3% Oxnard High School District: 12,182 / + 3% Source: School districts