Lynwood Delays Year-Round School Test

The Lynwood School Board, inundated the last several weeks by parents’ complaints over a plan to experiment with year-round schools, voted to delay the proposal for at least another year.

“We won! We won!” jubilant parents shouted after the board voted 3 to 2 Tuesday to reject a plan to begin year-round programs at three elementary schools by July 1.

“All of our work had some influence,” parent Daisy Flores said. “They paid attention to us.”

The board also ordered its administrative staff to develop a plan that could include year-round programs the following year. The board said the plan is necessary to relieve overcrowding in the district, which has nearly 15,000 students and has been growing at a rate of 400 to 500 students a year the last five years.

“I hope we to have a definite plan that could be put into effect by next year,” board member Willard Hawn Reed said.

Reed and board member Rachel Chavez voted for the experimental plan that called for three elementary schools to be converted to year-round schedules by July.

Board President Joe T. Battle and board members Thelma Williams and Richard Armstrong voted against the plan. “I don’t think we can implement something as serious as year-round schools in several months,” Battle said. “We’ve had some animosity here. We need some more parent input.”

Armstrong also said he thought the district should gather more information from parents. Armstrong, who earlier indicated he favored the plan, said he had been impressed with the outpouring of parents who protested the plan.

The board initially planned to vote on the proposal March 13, but postponed action after more than 200 parents marched in protest. More than 900 people filled the city’s civic auditorium during a special meeting March 22. About 50 parents showed up at Tuesday’s meeting,

The experimental proposal called for a year-round schedule at three of the district’s largest elementary schools, Roosevelt, Will Rogers and Lindbergh. Participation in the year-round program would have been voluntary.

If successful, the year-round program would have been expanded to other schools, officials said.

The protesting parents said they believe the year-round system would interfere with family vacations and create additional child-care costs. They have vowed to continue opposing any plans for year-round programs.

Board member Chavez pointed out, however, that the district is running out of space at its 13 schools while enrollment is rapidly increasing.

In fact, the district has been fined by the state for consistently allowing class sizes to exceed state limits in elementary schools.

Interim Supt. Audrey Clarke, who was named superintendent Tuesday night, said she would attempt to form a group of parents and others to consider solutions to overcrowding. Opponents of year-round schools would be represented, Clarke said.