School year does not add up to 180 days

Raise your hand if you think all students in the state of Washington go to school for the required 180 days.

In Seattle, students only get about 166 full days of learning each school year. That number is based on mom math. I start with 180 days, then subtract teacher professional development days when there’s no school for students, erase the days kids are dismissed from school early, and I also take out the week or so elementary school students have no classes during parent-teacher conferences.

Can anyone explain why January 27, 2012 – the day between semesters – is a day off from school in Seattle? I’m sure teachers have to submit their grade reports, but really is it necessary to sacrifice a whole day of learning?

As the state considers how to close a $2 billion budget gap, the idea of shortening the school year is floating around.

“No one wants to shorten the school year. However, when we start weighing the issue of quality versus quantity versus equity, at this point I would say cutting the school year is a way to most equitably make reductions,” Superintendent Marci Larsen of Mukilteo School District told The Herald newspaper.

Chopping five days off the school year would save the state an estimated $125 million. That is part of the education budget cuts Governor Gregoire proposed.

Last week, there was an interesting discussion here with 80 comments about How would you cut the state budget. Let’s focus that discussion today on education.

Here are the Governor’s proposed cuts. What would you add to or subtract from the list of cuts for K-12 education?

$330 million saved by delaying payments to schools from June 30, 2013 to July 1, 2013 to move the apportionment payments to the next biennium. That’s an accounting trick, not a real cut.

$300 million by reducing levy equalization payments to districts. Voters will be asked to pay more to make up for the money the state won’t give schools.

$220 million by eliminating school bus transportation, putting the burden on parents and communities beginning in the 2012-13 school year.

$137 million saved through increasing classes sizes in grades 4-12 by two students.

$125 million by reducing the school year from 180 days to 175 days (or realistically from 166 days to 161).

$49 million through shifting bus depreciation payments form October to August.

$40 million by eliminating National Board certification bonuses, or reduce the bonuses and save $8.4 million.

$38 million by eliminating full-day kindergarten. This will impact at least 17,000 kids in high poverty schools.

$33 million saved through another accounting trick by basing school funding on average daily attendance instead of daily attendance as it’s calculated now. They could save $6.4 million by changing attendance policies for when a student is considered a drop out.

$14 million through reducing preschool enrollment by 25 percent. Or, save $6 million by reducing it 11 percent.

$9 million cut by eliminating or reducing grants and projects.

$5 million by reducing staffing formulas for small high schools.

$2.1 million saved by eliminating state funding for child care subsidies for seasonal agricultural workers.

$1.4 million by reducing state support of the School for the Blind and Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss.

$1.3 million is spent simply by providing child care resource and referral information to parents. That would be cut.

$950,000 by reducing administration in the Department of Early Learning.

$600,000 is what the state would save by reducing administration in the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s office by 10 percent

AP file photo