Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Parents Argue Against All-Year Campus : Education: They say restructuring Old Orchard Elementary’s schedule will harm bilingual, clustering and other programs. The switch is planned for July.

Dozens of parents and teachers have asked that Old Orchard Elementary School remain on a traditional schedule, saying the planned switch to a year-round, multitrack system in July will harm bilingual, clustering and other programs.

Under the year-round program, students are assigned to a track in which they alternately attend school for 60 days and have 20 days off. The four tracks are staggered so only three groups of students are on campus at one time, boosting a school’s capacity.

Newhall School District trustees in May decided to move Old Orchard to a year-round schedule. Initially designed for 650 students and expanded to hold 770 with the addition of portable classrooms, Old Orchard now has 783 students and enrollment is expected to continue growing. Its capacity would expand to accommodate 924 students under year-round multitrack.

School officials say staggered scheduling is a better solution to overcrowding than portable classrooms because it takes pressure off the packed library, cafeteria, playgrounds and restrooms.

More than 150 residents debated the question Tuesday, with most in the crowd opposing the year-round plan.

Some parents noted that Old Orchard won’t have enough trained teachers to offer bilingual education in all four tracks, saying it effectively segregates minority students. Many predicted that the clustering program, in which students are grouped by ability rather than age, would also be difficult to continue if students are split into tracks.

“I believe we may be overcrowded in the cafeteria, in the library or on the playground. But I don’t send my children to school to use the library, play on the playground or eat in the cafeteria,” parent Lauren Goetz said. “I send them to school to receive a quality education.”

Wiley Canyon and Valencia Valley elementary schools abandoned traditional schedules in July, and speakers associated with those campuses said the change has been a positive one.

Chazell Wilson is a teacher at Wiley Canyon, while her children attend Old Orchard. She said the program has significantly reduced overcrowding and improved student performance.

Trustees will decide on Jan. 25 if Old Orchard will go year-round as scheduled.