Las Virgenes School Board Votes to Test Year-Round Classes

The Las Virgenes Unified School District has taken the first step toward establishment of year-round schedules at two schools.

Under a plan approved by the Las Virgenes School Board Tuesday night, the year-round programs would be voluntary, and would only be implemented if a survey found that enough parents are interested.

Board members said that offering the voluntary year-round schedule at an undetermined elementary and middle school is an alternative to placing several elementary schools on a 12-month schedule.

The year-round schedule was one of three proposals approved by the board to reduce crowding in the district at the western edge of Los Angeles County.

Opponents Skeptical

Many of the 600 people who attended the emotional board meeting at Agoura High School expressed anger and skepticism at the action, saying that a voluntary program could easily change into a mandatory program.

Parents repeatedly asked the board to come up with alternatives to year-round classes.

Under the plan, the elementary and middle school would offer both a traditional September-June school year and a year-round schedule in which various groups of students would have short vacation periods staggered throughout the year. By staggering vacations and operating year-round, a district can increase the capacity of a school.

Open to All Students

At the designated schools, to be chosen by a committee, students living within the schools’ attendance areas could choose either the traditional class schedule or the year-round schedule. The year-round programs would be open to students in other attendance areas within the district as well.

Supt. Albert D. Marley said Wednesday that, if not enough parents are interested, the plan will be dropped.

At the Tuesday meeting, the board also voted to change middle-school attendance boundary lines, affecting some fifth-graders who attend Sumac Elementary School in Agoura. Beginning next September, Sumac students living east of Kanan Road will attend A. E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas instead of Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura.

That proposal drew complaints from Agoura Hills-area parents, who said sending their children to a Calabasas school would destroy the concept of neighborhood schools.

Portable Classrooms

The board’s third action was to approve the addition of two portable classrooms on the campus of Willow Elementary School in Agoura.

Board members expressed sympathy with parents’ concerns over a year-round program, but were insistent in their support of the concept.

Year-round education “does merit some type of trial,” board President Betty DeSantis said. “Las Virgenes has been one of the forerunners in education. We were one of the first in Southern California to implement middle schools. We should continue in that leadership role.”

Las Virgenes is experiencing the worst crowding in the western part of the district and, officials said, elementary schools are feeling the brunt of the growth.

Growing Enrollment

There were 3,206 elementary students in the Las Virgenes district this fall, contrasted with 2,807 last year. Total school enrollment is 8,269, up from 7,400 in the mid-1970s.

Three of the district’s elementary schools--Yerba Buena, Willow and Sumac--are now operating at capacity, officials said.

Although the district has been studying the year-round concept for almost a year, parents were first notified two weeks ago of the possible year-round calendar.

“Parents didn’t know anything was going on until it was almost too late for us to come up with alternative proposals,” said Debbi Tappis of Agoura. “The district is trying to slam-dunk this change while we stand helplessly by.”