School Calendar

In response to your editorial “Ultimately, Students Pay the Price,” Aug. 4, it is fair to say that you grossly misrepresented the process that occurred at North Hollywood High School. The leadership council, composed of students, teachers, parents and administrators, never chose to remain on a traditional calendar that might necessitate moving some neighborhood students to other schools. Quite the contrary, the group accepted the multitrack format (not realizing there were options) and worked tenaciously to develop a plan to assign students to each of the three tracks.

The first task was to place each special program on a specific track. Each group was allowed to make a presentation of its rationale for its requested track placement. Time and again, the principal was asked if she would abide by the decisions of the leadership council, and time and again she publicly reassured members that their decisions would be upheld. When one of the groups was placed on a track contrary to their choosing, a number of parents flooded school board members and the school district central staff with phone calls, faxes, letters and personal appearances. The cluster leader and maintenance personnel then re-walked the school and decided that with “minor” alterations, the school could accommodate almost all of our projected enrollment. The district then provided an additional $45,000 to make these alterations, and the principal was instructed to end the feud and announce that the school would remain on a traditional calendar, thus ending the protest regarding the unwanted track assignment. In essence, the school district forced the local council to scrap the multitrack plan, which is just the opposite of what was presented in your editorial.

Throughout the year, the unfolding of this situation was reported very accurately in The Times by Kate Folmar, who attended a number of the meetings. Perhaps [you] should research your own archives before writing [the] opinion in the paper.

SUSAN BONOFF

Bonoff is a college counselor at North Hollywood High School

* Parents at Van Nuys and North Hollywood high schools fought proposals to switch both campuses to year-round schedules in an effort to reduce overcrowding. Those parents think year-round school is a pain for them, their kids and teachers. So these two schools have to bus their kids to other schools to reduce the crowding. I agree that students are paying the price because of their parents’ decision. It is definitely more stressful for them to go to a new environment. However, I disagree with those parents that year-round is painful for everyone.

The traditional school calendar is set for families with traditional lifestyles. But nowadays most parents are both working. They do not stay home with the kids during the long summer vacation, so the kids may become bored. Year-round school can compensate for this. It is a program that works based on how we live today.

The kids probably like to go to school year-round, with shorter but more frequent breaks. In the traditional-year schools, kids may become tired in long-term learning. A year-round school may actually assist kids to learn more efficiently during the short period of school [and to] forget less of what they learned last semester during the short breaks.

In addition, some parents may find their lifestyles changing for their benefit. For instance, parents can avoid crowded and expensive vacation spots during the usual peak periods while they are taking their kids on vacation. Teachers also benefit because they will be working all year, rather than being jobless during long summer breaks.

Overall, year-round school provides many advantages. The most important point is that it can solve overcrowding. However, converting to year-round schooling can be difficult and expensive because schools must install air-conditioning and because teachers’ salaries may rise since they work more weeks. In conclusion, I hope parents will consider the situation of the schools as well as their own concerns.

YU-CHIN LAI

Northridge

* Regarding your editorial about the decision of Van Nuys High School to stay on the traditional calendar instead of going on the year-round calendar: Parents did not make this decision alone. A vote was taken at school and letters were sent home. The decision was to keep everyone on the same track. This allows students to elect courses they want, regardless of what school they attend, residential or magnet.

Instead of wasting money on changing the school calendar, changing junior high school to the middle school concept and creating the four-year high school, [LAUSD] should be thinking about better educational programs for the students. The money spent on experimental programs would be better spent on getting the best teachers for the position.

Van Nuys High School did the right thing for everyone involved. Democracy won; everyone involved was given the opportunity to vote.

FAYE KRAMER

Van Nuys