VENTURA : Findings Ready on Year-Round Schools

The results of parent surveys to determine which of 15 schools may convert to a year-round schedule will be presented at a board meeting of the Ventura Unified School District tonight.

Board members will examine the results on a school-by-school basis, looking at which schools’ parents want to remain on the traditional September-to-June schedule and which may operate year-round. A vote is scheduled Feb. 26.

Some parents and school officials advocate the year-round calendar, saying that, without the interruption of a 12-week summer vacation, students remember more of what they have learned. But other parents and teachers argue that the system disrupts family life and that the theories about its benefits are unproven.

Parents who want to keep the traditional calendar have criticized the wording of the survey, accusing the district of being biased in favor of year-round schools.

But district officials said that they have outlined advantages and disadvantages and that the final choice is up to parents.

Under the year-round calendar, the first day of school is July 29, and there are more frequent breaks during the school year. Children attend school 180 days a year under each plan.

Three elementary schools in the 23-school district--E. P. Foster, Mound and Sheridan Way--are already on a year-round schedule. A majority of parents at three other schools, Arnaz and Oak View elementary schools and De Anza Middle School, have approved the year-round schedule, and those schools will convert in July.

The meeting at 7:30 tonight will be held at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St.