Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Year-round calendar idea tabled for this fall at Desert View

Kenn Rodriguez News-Bulletin Staff Writer; krodriguez@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Parents and staff at Desert View Elementary School who were worried about the proposed plan to change the school to a year-round calendar will have more of their say heard as the Los Lunas School Board decided to table approval of the "balanced calendar" at the board's regular meeting on Tuesday, April 22.

The board tabled the calendar by a 5-0 vote, effectively delaying any changes in the school's calendar until the 2009-2010 school year.

The decision to table the calendar followed a nearly 45-minute discussion that included comments from a few audience members.

Board vice-president Maria Marez said part of the reason she advocated tabling the measure was to have the district administration study the proposal more as well as to get more public input.

She also cited a tightening district budget in the upcoming year.

"First of all, it's budgetary issues," she said. "We kind of are looking at a bleak picture when it comes to our budget next year. Administration had basically said we're not going to have any new programs, and as you start every new program, there are always hidden costs.

"The second part is that we just approved the district calendar, which the parents at DVE voted on. So we'd basically be saying 'Your vote is null and void. Vote again.'"

Marez said the district's recent process of inviting public input into the redistricting of four Westside elementary schools also convinced her that more public input was not just preferred but required by the board.

"I really do believe you need a minimum of three community meetings," she said. "We set that precedent with boundaries, and this is a major decision, to change the school year. I'm concerned that being that the school is in the area it is, the limited access that we have to parents."

The board had entertained the plan to change the calendar at Desert View Elementary after approving a study by Los Lunas school administration at the board's March 18 meeting.

Marez said for her "the No. 1 issue is parent involvement."

"I think that they (many parents) don't really understand that by saying 'We're going to a balanced calendar,'" she said. "And do they actually realize the domino effect of that? I don't think it's a bad idea, but I think it's still in the study stage and we need more community involvement until we actually know 100 percent where the community wants to go.

"After the boundary issue, you had no doubt in any board member's mind. We'd had three meetings; we listened to every person's opinion. And I don't think that process has taken place regarding the balanced calendar at DVE. So that's my concern."

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version