Oxnard High School District May Lose Funds to Extend Year

Despite a recent study showing the academic benefits in increasing the length of the school year, the Oxnard Union High School District may lose millions of dollars in funding it receives to keep its five campuses open three weeks longer.

The district may have to abandon its extended school year in the fall because the governor’s new budget proposal did not include the estimated $4 million necessary to keep the program running.

“It’s a disappointment, but we’re optimistic that some time in the future, there will be some support in the Legislature,” said Gary Davis, assistant superintendent for the 14,000-student district.

The preliminary 2000-01 state budget sets aside billions of dollars for education--from teacher recruitment and training to incentives and grants for high-performing students. But there was no money allotted for Oxnard’s extended-year program.

Davis said district administrators plan to lobby legislators in hopes that the final budget will include money for the program.

The district was the first in the state to extend its school year in an effort to improve performance. Starting in 1996, students at Oxnard, Camarillo, Rio Mesa, Hueneme and Channel Islands high schools attended class for 187 days, seven days longer than other California public school students. Now students attend school 15 additional days each year.

The district received $14 million in state funds to test the program for four years.

An independent evaluation released last month showed that the extra 15 days helped improve SAT scores and reduce dropout rates. The report also showed that students took more Advanced Placement tests and more students who spoke limited English were reclassified as fluent.

The only downside was a slight increase in absence rates among students and teachers, the analysis showed.

Jeffrey White, one of the researchers, said he believes that the governor’s office did not set aside funding because it did not have a chance to review the report.

He and fellow researcher Ted Bartell sent the evaluation to Gov. Gray Davis at the end of December and have not yet received any response.

“They didn’t have the data in enough time to carefully interpret it and include it in the budget,” White said.

But even if the program isn’t funded for the 2000-01 school year, White said he believes that the research will help districts trying to start similar programs in the future.

“It definitely was not in vain,” he said.

White and Bartell, both from the Los Angeles Unified School District, began their evaluation in the fall of 1997 and will continue their analysis through this summer. The final report will be released in late fall.

Davis of the Oxnard district said that even if the program does not receive funding, it will serve as a research model for other districts.

“The results of the evaluation were positive,” he said. “We feel we’ve done a very good service for California.”