Re: “LAUSD Switches – Culver City Does Not”
In the wake of this week’s decision by Los Angeles schools to end the summer break and resume classes closer to Labor Day, is Culver City’s mid-August starting date satisfactory?
“Any time should be satisfactory,” said School District Supt. Josh Arnold. “I don’t think there is a right time or a wrong time.”
Each community establishes its own time frame, he said, and decides for itself what schedule works best.
“The community is a part of the decision-making process,” said Dr. Arnold. “Teachers and students and summer activities, state assessments, AP exams and the months that college starts in, whether it’s a semester-based system or quarter system summer camps – all of those are factors.
“I don’t think there is an ideal start time from one community to another.
“They are constantly different,” said the superintendent of the logic that informs a process more complex than it may seem at a glance. “That is why we regularly survey our community – to find out what their needs are.”
Deciding the right starting time by consensus, based on widely varying events such as family vacations, is frustrating elusive.
“Calendars are issues that are difficult to get wide, wide consensus on because there are so many diverse experiences and needs,” Dr. Arnold said.
Does the present middle August opening have broad community acceptance?
“We would not do anything that doesn’t have acceptance.”
