Lost instructional days should be restored

In January, Superintendent Wendy Sinnette and the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board moved to request that the state of California give the district the revenue it lost due to the two “wind days” that closed local schools in December 2011. Given the financial shortfalls facing the district, no one can argue against this decision. However, despite the fact that the teachers of La Cañada have been paid for the two “wind days,” no mention has been made of actually restoring these two lost instructional days to the ultimate losers in this situation: the parents and students of the La Cañada Unified School District.

As most parents in the district know, after the four teacher collaboration days were taken from the district’s school year, the actual instructional days for the students of the district fell to 176. Few are aware, but the district has given its teachers two additional pupil-free days: Back-to-School Night and the last day of school. At this point, the minimum number of instructional school days required by the state of California is 175. With the loss of the two “wind days,” the La Cañada Unified School District now has two fewer instructional days than the minimum required by the state of California.

If you believe it is important that our children have the two instructional days lost to wind restored such that they may receive the minimum number of instructional days required by the state of California, please join me on at the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2012 at the Board of Education District Offices at 4490 Cornishon Ave., or email the members of the Governing Board of the district and tell them to restore the two lost instructional days to the students of La Cañada.

Brooke Wharton

La Cañada Flintridge