By Khalida Sarwari
An attempt last month by the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District to implement a new schedule at Saratoga High School has driven a wedge between parents, students, teachers and administrators. Everyone has their own opinion about what the school’s schedule should look like, but most of them agree: The one proposed by the school district board of trustees has got to go.
The unveiling of the schedule to the school community in January was met with concern, anger and confusion. It led to the cancellation of a school performance on Jan. 25 and the formation of town hall meetings to address misconceptions that have transpired in the wake of the schedule change announcement.
The new schedule has sparked the ire of teachers such as music director Michael Boitz who, in an email addressed to students, attributed the cancellation of the concert to “the temperament in the community and the level of discontent and confusion.”
Boitz was one of 26 people on the schedule advisory committee formed in August by superintendent Bob Mistele to align the schedules across the district’s two high schools. The committee was comprised of other teachers, staff members, parents and even students from both schools.
At a town hall meeting on Jan. 28, Saratoga High School principal Paul Robinson underscored the challenge of drafting a schedule that would be satisfactory to everyone.
“If we had left this up to 1,300 families, we’d have 1,300 different schedules,” he said. “It’s just impossible for us to make sure we’re meeting the needs of everybody.”
The new schedule, referred to as a “rolling block” schedule, features a later start time (8:15 a.m., as opposed to the current start time of 7:50 a.m.) and includes 90-minute block periods, 35-minute daily tutorials, and most significantly for the students, a 35-minute lunch which poses a hardship for students who travel far distances for food and already struggle with returning to school on time. Before it goes into effect in the 2016-17 school year, it may see still more changes.
The district claims the proposed schedule reduces student stress because it starts later, includes more tutorial time and addresses the homework load. A number of parents disagree, with some calling for a reversion of the schedule in a Change.org petition.
Started by a group that calls itself “Concerned Parents in Saratoga,” the petition had more than 600 signatures as of Feb. 2. The group argued that the new schedule significantly reduces instructional minutes and the length of the daily tutorial period, that it has a negative impact on athletic, extracurricular and off-campus activities and that the proposed 8:15 a.m. start time will conflict with Redwood Middle School’s start time, causing traffic and problems for parents with students attending both schools.
Both athletic director Tim Lugo and Boitz said while they didn’t have an answer as to what their altered practice schedules would look like, they’d adjust accordingly.
“To say this is going to be the end of athletics is no,” Lugo said at the Jan. 28 town hall meeting. “We see this as something that will open up opportunities, but it’s something we’ll have to adjust to.”
Not to be left out of the debate that’s raging around them, the students created their own petition, which as of Feb. 2 had garnered more than 800 signatures.
Max Vo said he created the petition in response to the overwhelming opposition on the school campus to the proposed schedule. He shared some of his and his peers’ concerns at the board of trustees meeting on Feb. 2.
“There’s a very big problem with the lunch time,” Vo told the board. “Dropping the lunch to 35 minutes may work for [Los Gatos], but not for Saratoga. How do you expect us to make it back to school on time with five minutes less?”
Senior Marcus Emery offered a harsher critique.
“To see a group of parents walk in here and harass and essentially bully anybody who disagrees with them, it’s the most demoralizing thing you’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I’m not here to lay blame, but I just want to express how absolutely terrifying it is knowing that essentially our school’s future lies in the small group of people who happen to know district attorneys, and that’s absolutely disgusting.”
Prior to the public hearing, Mistele acknowledged speculation about a lawsuit filed with the California Department of Education and maintained that from the beginning, changes to the schedule were made with students from both schools in mind.
“I know we all want what’s best for the kids,” said Mistele. “That’s why the committee was formed. That’s why we came together to do the things we’re doing.”
Meanwhile, Robinson assured parents that the school staff would continue to respond to their concerns and hold additional informational meetings on the topic, including one involving the Redwood community.
The next opportunity to discuss the schedule change will be the Saratoga High PTSO meeting on Feb. 11 at 8:30 a.m.
