VENTURA : 5 Principals Favor Year-Round Schools

The principals of five Ventura schools have recommended that the schools switch to a year-round schedule next year, but the district has been threatened with a lawsuit if it follows through with the proposal.

Principals of Cabrillo Middle School and Blanche Reynolds, Loma Vista, Pierpont and Poinsettia elementary schools are in favor of converting to a year-round schedule beginning in August, said Supt. Joseph Spirito. The school board is scheduled to discuss the recommendations at its 7:30 p.m. meeting today at Ventura City Hall.

Ed Tennen, the parent of a Cabrillo seventh-grade student, said the district is legally required to publish three notices in the newspaper by Nov. 1 of the previous year informing parents of any change in scheduling. Therefore, he said, the district would be in violation of the law if it decides to convert the five schools to a year-round system.

Tennen said parents opposed to the plan would consider filing a lawsuit against the district if it follows the recommendation of the school principals to implements the new system this summer.

But Spirito said the law may not apply in this case because parents would have the option of sending their children to schools operating on a traditional calendar system.

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