Back to school 2010: Shorter year, fewer teachers
For years, Orange County schools have been slicing and dicing to save money – decimating arts and sports, slashing teaching and counseling jobs, even closing some campuses for good.
This year, they're deploying a new strategy to conserve on cash – shortening the school year itself.
As nearly half a million K-12 students across Orange County return to their classrooms in the next two weeks, most will have their instructional year lopped off by up to a week, shrinking the traditional 36-week school year to 35.
All but six of the county's 27 school districts are moving in this direction, although some are shaving as few as two school days.
The shorter instructional year will come on top of continued cuts to basic programs and services. The popular class-size reduction program that guaranteed a 20-to-1 pupil-teacher ratio in primary grades has been wiped out or scaled back at every O.C. district, except for one, Laguna Beach Unified.
At home, parents are also feeling the economic pinch. Many recession-hit families have less spending cash to dole out for supplies, uniforms and extracurricular activities even as some