Omar Ramos
Mrs. Wilkerson
English II (H)- 4
11 December 1996
Year Round
School: An Annual Mistake
Throughout time education has been
considered a process that every so often must be improved. The education quality in the U.S. has
declined over the years and people have been looking for a way to make
improvements. A more recent proposal has been to go from a traditional nine
month schedule to an all year program.
Supporters of year round school
claim it gives the student a better education.
However, the prospect of year
round school is not beneficial to the taxpayers pocket, to the education a student receives, or to
the people involved with the district.
All year school ends up costing the school
district and surrounding community more money than a traditional nine month
schedule. "More funds would be
needed to cover the costs of paying the teachers and staff for one full year
instead of for 180 days work." (
Sevetson 2). "Teachers currently make an average of $37, 000 in the United
States. However, the costs would
increase to $53, 000 to keep the teachers for a full year." (Somerby
8). Currently, a district uses a lot of
its budget on paying teachers. Once the
increased costs are put in place, the budget depletes rapidly. Yet teachers must be paid, as they are the
cornerstone of education. Also, it takes
additional funds to run the school all year, due to things such as air
conditioning in the summer (White 28).
Many schools due not currently need AC systems to be used. However, AC is a costly amenity and if
schools are held open three additional months,
AC becomes a heavy factor. Not to
mention, the level of supplies and paper that is consumed would be more than
33% larger (Sardo- Brown 26). Costs per school for items, such as paper,
increase due to constant use. (White 29).
Students would be deprived of such simple items such as worksheets or
class handouts. Outside costs, such as
transportation and equipment for activities would go up for constant
maintenance (Sardo Brown 27). Buses that travel every school day use the
districts money for gasoline and repairs. The money needed to cover the
maintenance These costs can be very hard for a district to swallow, because
they must be covered by someone. Taxes
would have to shoot up to solve the dilemma.
Overall, the costs add up and equal a loss for students environment.
Due to the structuring, students and
teachers would not be given time to recuperate from the prior year and to
prepare for the future. Many students
use the summer for a vacation with their parents. However, with a school in the summer it would
be much harder for a family to find a convenient time. Research shows that students would be more
likely to burnout from school as they are not given an extended break in the
summer (White 29). Teachers are also not given enough time to prepare for their
next incoming class (Sevetson 3). An
unprepared teacher can only mean much more time wasted. The summer has also been a time when students
can change their lifestyles. "Many
students and teachers rely on the summer for a chance to mature and grow a
little older. With year round school,
many lose that chance to change an attitude problem or become wiser."
(Sardo- Brown and Rooney 25). It is
important that students continue to mature throughout high school. Year- round school does not guarantee that
this will occur. Time spent with friends
would also decrease as many students run on different schedules. Friendship is one of the most important
things in the development of today's child (Sardo-Brown 27). However, year round school separates most
students into about two or three different schedules (Somerby 8). Students are not given any preference as to
which one they follow and it is simply a luck of the draw.
The biggest problem would be the
adaptation to a schedule by the students and teachers. For students already in
junior high or high school, year round school would be a hard schedule to
follow (Sevetson 2). After years of following
one method, they would be told to suddenly switch tracks completely. Students would then lose a chance for
improved education. Similarly, teachers
would not have the time needed to take additional classes to improve their
teaching methods (Somerby 9). " How
can a district expect education to improve if
teachers can't improve their own personal education ?" (Somerby
9). Students moving out of the district
would be in conflict with a district that had a nine month schedule. "For a military family or any family
that is at risk, a year round schedule can only mean a nightmare." (White
27). Also, special events such as graduation or the beginning of the school
year would all be lost in the shuffle from year to year (Sardo- Brown 27). This means that after years of hard work in
school, graduating seniors would all but not matter.
A revision does indeed need to occur in
the U.S. education system. The facts all do point to other countries flying by
the U.S. However, year round school is not what students need. It has too many downfalls and not enough
benefits. Costs and scheduling are too
huge of problems to be ignored. The nine
month schedule must remain the basis for education in America. The changes that need to occur do not involve
the schedule. They concern the actual
education taught in classes. A change to the traditional calendar only sinks
education lower off the charts.
Works Cited
Sardo- Brown,
Deborah and Rooney, Micheal. "The
Vote on All-Yaear Schools."
American
School Board Journal. July 1992; 25-27.
Sevetson,
Martha. "Try, try Again: All Year
Long." The Wichita Eagle. 13 September 1992;
1D+
Somerby,
Robert. "Are these the Right Goals
for Education in the 90's ?" The Baltimore
Sun. 15 April, 1990. D8+ natl.ed.
White, William
D. "Year Round No More." American School Board Journal. July 1992; 27-30.
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