Schools will revert to nine-month calendars

For the first time in 37 years, the Clark County School District will be without any year-round schools when the new school year begins Aug. 30.

School District officials announced Wednesday that all of its 76 year-round schools will convert to nine-month calendars, saving the financially strapped district about $13.8 million, according to the latest estimate.

Because the district is facing a budget shortfall of $140 million, many parents seized upon the budget crisis to lobby for the change, saying year-round schedules were disruptive to family routines, especially summer vacation plans and day care.

But the flip-flopping by the School Board on the issue has annoyed year-round school staff, who will lose pay with the loss of workdays. Plus, they might have to swallow further pay concessions to help close the budget hole.

Jonathan Becker, a special education teacher at Tom Williams Elementary School, said he is expecting to lose $7,200 a year because of the calendar conversion.

"I like the idea of going to nine months because I get the summer off, but I'm a little miffed," said Becker, who recalled that his school was assured before spring break that it would remain on a 12-month calendar.

Under public pressure, the School Board this month reversed a March 28 decision and decided to see whether circumstances would allow all schools to go back to a nine-month calendar. On Wednesday, Lauren Kohut-Rost, deputy superintendent for instruction, announced that a district review had concluded that 55 more schools could go back to a traditional calendar. This was in addition to the 21 schools that had been cleared for nine-month calendars because of declining enrollment.

If Becker had known the School Board would reverse course, he said, he would have taken advantage of the April transfer season to find a job at a school closer to his home. "I feel a little jerked around," he said.

Other employees also were wondering how they would be affected. Scott Weissinger, a school attendance officer, said he was unsure if he would lose two months of work. "Nobody's saying nothing," he said.

School principals at 12-month schools will lose $3,000 stipends, but their number of workdays will be protected by union contract, said Stephen Augspurger, executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees.

Augspurger said 12-month principals will be assigned other work in the district to make up for the loss of work at their schools. He was incredulous that the district had revised its estimate on the cost savings, which, he said, is about the third estimate he's seen.

"I find it unbelievable we can't get the dollar amount right," Augspurger said. "Is it $20 million, $17.4 million or $13 million?"

The district communications office said the savings estimate was revised because $7.5 million must be dedicated for special education.

Ruben Murillo, president of the teachers union Clark County Education Association, said he was concerned about the impact of overcrowding in schools. While not all teachers at 12-month schools work longer than nine-month schedules, he said, the teachers with "add-on days," who typically are specialists such as music and special education teachers, should get extra consideration for summer school jobs.

The School District began 12-month calendars in 1973 as a strategy to alleviate overcrowding on campuses. While the number of school days remains the same as at nine-month schools, year-round students are rotated on four or five different vacation schedules, or "tracks," so not all students are on the campus at the same time.

District officials say the year-round schedules are no longer necessary because of declining enrollment, the opening of four new elementary schools in August, and the expansion of class sizes in grades 1-3 freeing up additional classrooms.

Terri Janison, the School Board president, said all schools will be reviewed in two years to see if there's a need for them to go back to 12-month calendars.

Many underprivileged students at year-round schools have come to depend on "wrap-around" social services for survival, such as backpacks of food donated from the Three Square food bank.

Kohut-Rost said these students could be served through other summer school programs. Because the year-round schools won't switch until the fall, the changes won't be felt until the summer of 2011.

"The good thing is we have a year to plan," she said.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-4686.