SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : 8 Schools to Switch to 3-Track Schedule

Eight San Fernando Valley elementary schools will change their schedules under a plan to add room for increased enrollment for the new school year beginning July 1, Los Angeles school district officials have announced.

The eight are among 19 throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District that the Board of Education last week authorized to switch from their current calendars to a “Concept 6” schedule, which trims the number of class days from 180 to 163, lengthening each school day to compensate for the reduction.

The eight Valley schools are year-round “multitrack” campuses attended by four groups of students on staggered schedules, with no more than three groups on campus at one time. Under the new schedule, one of the groups will be absorbed into the other three, and no more than two tracks will attend school at once.

The change in tracks and the shorter school year create openings for more students, because a greater proportion of them are on vacation at any time.

District officials say the change will increase each school’s enrollment capacity by 17%, creating openings that will allow more students to attend neighborhood schools. Because those students will not have to be bused to distant schools, the switch will also save the cash-strapped district about $2.2 million in transportation costs, officials said.

School year starting dates will change for children in each campus’ fourth track, and vacation dates will change for all students. Parents should call their children’s schools to determine when their youngsters will begin classes, school officials said.

The Valley schools are Camellia Avenue, Langdon Avenue, Morningside, Noble Avenue, Plummer, Roscoe, Van Nuys and Victory Boulevard elementary schools.