Teachers to consider proposed calendar for 2008-9

Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
A calendar for 2008-09 was recently proposed and firmly defeated by teachers in a vote that was the most decisive no vote that SBTA President Layne Wheeler could remember in over 25 years. Yesterday, a special representative council meeting of the Santa Barbara Teacher’s Association (SBTA) was held to develop a new proposal for next year’s calendar. That will then go to District negotiations and then back to the teachers for a vote. SBTA President Layne Wheeler said, “If the Board agrees or modifies the proposal ... it will go back to the membership of SBTA for a ratification..”
The defeated calendar started the first semester on August 18 and brought teachers back on August 14. Summer was shortened by one week in order to end the first semester before leaving for Winter Break.
The school district’s motivations to add a week to Winter Break was to align the elementary school schedules with secondary schools.
The subtraction of a week from summer would affect activities that practice during the summer such as football and water polo training and band camp by cutting their crucial summer training by a week. For these activities practice during the vacation provides time in which students don’t have to worry about school yet.
“Most teachers recognize the difference in the quality of unwinding time during the summer (from) the time off during vacation when they still have to think about their classes,” said Association Representative Mr. Tony Sandrich. “The fight over the calendar is not about the number of days we teach; it is just when we each them.”