Shorter L.A. School Year
The California public school year has a minimum of 180 instructional days. Some years ago, as part of a community effort, a group of overcrowded Los Angeles schools managed to avoid busing students by creating a multitrack calendar of only 163 days, but with additional minutes of instruction to make up for the lost 17 days. These schools received a waiver permitting implementation of their calendar.
On Dec. 14, with absolutely no notice to the community, the Los Angeles school board implemented the 163-day calendar for the entire district, starting next Jan. 4. Apart from wreaking havoc with people’s schedules, this precipitous decision deprives teachers of any meaningful opportunity to revise lesson plans to conform to the new schedule, and ignores the reality that, for the many students who are transported to schools far away from their homes, the lengthened day will ensure that their bus trips begin and/or end without the benefit of daylight.
One can only wonder if the board is trying to destroy the educational program in order to save it.
JOE LEVINE, Los Angeles
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