Seeking a solution to late school start

Many parents continue to ask me about the status of the late-start school issue. Despite the respite, this matter has not been laid to rest. After the school board was given petitions and a list of grievances in October, a committee was created to explore and analyze this matter. The committee consisted of parents, teachers and administrators.

The committee met three times over a four-month period. At all times the committee acknowledged that teacher collaboration is important, and that it is equally important to maintain a consistent schedule that does not negatively impact the families in the community.

The committee brainstormed several options, and at the third meeting the committee reviewed these options to see if any were feasible.

One of the options discussed was to conduct teacher collaboration at 8 a.m. on Fridays, requiring the teachers to be at school one hour earlier. This idea was met with resistance, as "it would inconvenience a good number of teachers who have children they need to get to day care and school, and it would disrupt their schedule."

At another point the committee was close to reaching a solution by starting school at 9 a.m. every day and adding six minutes onto the Monday through Thursday classes. This would allow for a 2:05 p.m. dismissal on Fridays, with collaboration happening before or after school on Fridays. When all was said and done one of the teachers on the committee said that she did not feel she could teach an effective class on Fridays if the schedule was reduced.

Following this discussion, the committee was then dissolved. This surprised the participating parents as they felt nothing had been resolved.

Despite the committee's lack of a resolution, Superintendent Ellen Smith did an excellent job at presenting the committees findings and suggestions at the February school board meeting. She also provided a summary of what to expect next.

The principals will review and evaluate options with the teachers. The school staff will make decisions about collaboration for the coming year with the teachers' association assisting in the process. The principals will then hold meetings to share the options with PTAs, school site councils and other interested parents for their input. Ultimately the proposal will be brought before the school board.

After Ms. Smith's report, board member Ron LaGuardia summed up how I think all of us parents feel. Mr. LaGuardia has a child at Mesa Verde, so he has firsthand experience of how this late-start impacts families.

He said that he had visited Mesa Verde on a Friday morning to see how the early morning schedule works. While it did seem to accommodate the children that were there early, he believed that there is "one hour here that could be better spent for our schools," and further stated that "the maximum use of facilities and school district time are not being used to best serve the students."

He expressed that he would like to see the middle schools "revert back to a mandatory start time of 9 a.m." and "incorporate a study hall into the day," during which time the teachers could have their collaboration time. Mr. LaGuardia's comments were simply his opinions and were not up for a motion or vote at that time.

You should also be aware that during these committee meetings, several issues were brought out:

•Regardless of the disruption to families, children learn best in the mornings and 10 is simply too late for school to start.

•Time and time again we urged the superintendent to survey the parents and get their opinions, but she was reluctant to do this as in her own words "it would open a Pandora's Box." From all the comments of those who signed the petitions, I believe this whole mess started because parents were not appropriately consulted in the first place.

•In the end, the teachers vote on whether or not they approve the schedule changes and they get the final say, regardless of what the school board elects.

•It should be noted that the high school schedule was not addressed in this committee, as the teachers and administrators "perceive" that most students enjoy the extra sleep. However, I can tell you my son does not like the Wednesday late start as it is just one more thing to complicate his routine.

Hopefully this brings the middle school parents up to speed on the late-start issue. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them. Janene Ustach Moorpark