Fewer school days supported as least bad choice

In an effort to balance the budget, school superintendents are urging the state to cut days out of the school year as the best of several poor choices. Cuts of five to 10 school days have been discussed. “I think it’s the least bad option,” said Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Rick Schulte.

By Rebecca Olson • November 22, 2011 3:28 pm
Oak Harbor High School students Bianca Blake and Rebekah McDaniel learn how to make biscuits in culinary arts class. They may have fewer days to practice their cooking days if the school year is reduced
Oak Harbor High School students Bianca Blake and Rebekah McDaniel learn how to make biscuits in culinary arts class. They may have fewer days to practice their cooking days if the school year is reduced

In an effort to balance the budget, school superintendents are urging the state to cut days out of the school year as the best of several poor choices.

Cuts of five to 10 school days have been discussed.

“I think it’s the least bad option,” said Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Rick Schulte.

An alternative money-saving option for the state is cutting Local Effort Assistance, the state levy match. This would cut as much as $600,000 beginning in January for the Oak Harbor School District.

“I’m an educator; I don’t like shortening the school year,” Schulte said, adding that he’ll advocate for cutting the fewest days possible to balance the state budget but cutting days is better than cutting LEA funding.

Cutting LEA disproportionately affects districts with less taxable property, like Oak Harbor, which has Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Schulte said cutting school days is “equitable, fair and uniform for all districts.”

Coupeville School District doesn’t receive LEA but Superintendent Patty Page would rather see school days cut than LEA cut because it’s equitable.

“It would be a hardship to have 10 less days,” Page said, adding that if the state doesn’t change academic requirements, it will be difficult for teachers to accomplish what they need to in fewer days.

As a mother of three Oak Harbor High School students, Oak Harbor School Board director-elect Christine Cribb said, “I’d rather my kids go to school and get a full day than be like North Whidbey Middle School, which cut out bits.” To cope with budget cuts this school year, North Whidbey Middle School’s school day was shortened by half an hour every day.

Page said she also dislikes the idea of cutting school days because the state may let the burden of bargaining with local unions about employee pay fall on the school district.

“It pits us against the unions and other districts,” Page said, adding that that’s “unconscionable.”

“We know we need more days, not less. We’re still feeling the pinch of the cuts we made last year,” Page said.

Page said that cutting school days is the better of several poor options because it’s easier to put the days back in once funding returns. But she admits  it will have a negative effect on students.

If the state makes no changes in academic requirements, “Then will teachers have to teach faster or give more homework with less instruction?” Page asked.

“Either we have to teach more in less time or we have to give up some of the activities and other things we do,” Schulte said, mentioning assemblies, speakers and field trips as events that take away from regular class time and might need to be cut.

“We have to see what tradeoffs are available,” Schulte said.

Schulte said the district would also look at parent-teacher conference days and half days as days to cut as they search for the days with the least harmful effect on student learning.

At a recent Oak Harbor School Board meeting, Oak Harbor Education Association President Peter Szalai suggested cutting from the end of the school year and lengthening summer vacation.

“If we cut days out of the year we have to make sure to use the time we have to the greatest value,” Schulte said.

Cutting school days won’t save local school districts money; the state will take away the income for those days, which is balanced by saving the cost of having school those days, Schulte said.

As alternatives to cutting school days and LEA, Schulte suggested to Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, Rep. Barbara Bailey and Rep. Norma Smith that the state could save $30 to $40 million per year by making a significant reduction in state testing.

“Our state tests are some of the most expensive in the country,” Schulte said.

Cutting back on state testing would save money and valuable instruction time, Schulte said.

Another direction the district is addressing is changing staff benefits, which would reduce premiums paid by the state and employees.

“I think whatever we cut, our students are going to be affected by it. The level they’re affected is going to be up to the state and what they decide to cut,” Cribb said, adding that, “I think we have great teachers in this school district that do the best with what they’re given.”