Six or seven?
The answer to that questions sits in the hands of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Trustees.
Teachers are pushing for the school district to adopt a seven-period schedule to allow all students to have the option of taking an elective.
Currently, students who aren’t fluent in English must take a support class, which often eliminates their chance of taking an elective, such as music, theater or art.
“The teachers union is on board,” said theater teacher Rich Lashua. “How many other teacher unions in California are trying to have a longer day? All sides of this discussion say that they want this.”
The Board of Trustees at its Feb. 10 meeting discussed the matter, but did not take a vote.
The District has four junior high schools: Santa Barbara, La Cumbre, La Colina and Goleta Valley. Three of those campuses offer a zero period, but the options for those electives are scant and vary from campus to campus. La Cumbre Junior High does not over a zero period, out does offer a 7th period for musical theater.
By creating a formal seven-period day, students would have the option to choose from a wider selection of elective courses, not just the ones offered during zero period. In addition, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District does not offer a bus to schools for a zero period, so it is already difficult for some students to make it to class through private transporation at 8 a.m.
The board of trustees has expressed support for adding the 7th period, but has raised questions about cost and time. Among the considerations is to start with a 7th-period option at 1 or two of the district’s junior high schools.
“For me, the 7th-period is a no brainer,” said board member Celeste Kafri. “I think we should 100% do it.”
The District has a $250 million budget and adding a 7th-period at each of the junior high schools would cost about $1.58 million annually.
“We need to be investing in kids as close to the classroom as possible,” Kafri said.
The district used to offer seven periods, but cut them 18 years ago because of budget challenges.
“This is really important to invest in and will make a big difference in kids lives, every single day,” Kafri said.
Board member Sunita Beall said adding a 7th period is a good investment.
“It costs money, but what is our school budget for, it is for our students,” Beall said.
“This change should happen, needs to happen,” Beall said.
Ceramics teacher Kat Ross said a 7th period would help 619 student across the four junior high schools who don’t have an elective.
“That’s a lot of students,” Ross said. “Six-hundred-nineteen students that we are not serving at all.”
