VENTURA : Decision Delayed on Year-Round Schools

The board of the Ventura Unified School District said it will postpone a decision on whether to convert seven schools to a year-round calendar until it consults with school principals about the results of a parent survey.

During the next two weeks, Supt. Joseph Spirito said he will meet with the principals of Cabrillo Middle School and Blanche Reynolds, Lincoln, Loma Vista, Pierpont, Poinsettia and Will Rogers elementary schools to discuss the survey’s findings.

The district sent out 2,300 questionnaires in December, but only 944 were returned. Of those, 60% said they favored the year-round system. Will Rogers was the only school for which parents said they would not support the switch.

But with less than half of the parents responding to the survey, Spirito said he felt uncomfortable making a recommendation to the board.

Instead, he suggested that he talk with principals at the seven schools to get their views before the district decides what action to take.

Under a year-round schedule, students would generally be in class nine weeks and off three weeks throughout the year.

School officials argue that students retain their learning better on a year-round schedule because they don’t have a three-month summer break between grades.

Ventura schools now on a year-round calendar include De Anza Middle School and Oak View, Arnaz, E. P. Foster, Sheridan Way and Mound elementary schools.