Sacramento City Unified takes next step in effort to add extra school days
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento City Unified School Board voted to move forward with applying for a waiver request to make the school year longer to make up for instructional time lost during last year's teacher strikes.
The vote gives school administrators the green light to apply for the waiver request to submit a time penalty application.
The state Board of Education will still have to approve this, which means we won't know if it passes until as late as May.
"odd" that is how one school board member described the process of events that has led the district to this point.
That meeting happened Thursday night where parents weighed in on the pros and cons.
So here's what's at stake: $47 million in money that the district wants to keep investing in our schools and classrooms. If the application is denied, $39 million will be paid out to the state as a penalty for those missed days last year.
To avoid the penalty, all schools in the district must start eight days early for the next two school years, which would amount to 16 additional days.
There was mixed reaction from the board and some concern from families weighing in during public comment about the confusing process this has been as well as the burden it puts on students and parents to have to wait for a decision on when school will start so late in the year.
"Families might feel, first of all, 'Why is this so delayed,' second, speaking to the comments, 'Why are kids being punished for more school?' said Taylor Kayatta, board trustee. "It's like we're being penalized as a community for actions that are out of the hands for the 99% of people who have kids in this district."
"I think it's also important to stress to the community that while this is a tough pill to swallow," said Jasjit Singh, 1st vice president. "It's really important to note that we're talking about $47 million back into education and instructional time."
So once again, this is just the next step in the process. The vote means the district will submit for the waiver by Friday's deadline, but the state Board of Education won't announce if they approved it until May.