SCHOOL SCHEDULE COSTLY SHIFT ADDS $1.3 MILLION TO DISTRICT'S BILLS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - The Palmdale School District's controversial switch from a five-track year-round calendar to a three-track system last year cost the district $1.3 million.

The district had to pay $500,000 more in benefits for additional teachers; about $400,000 more for air conditioning, electricity and other utilities that were normally off during the summer; and $325,000 in pay to certain teachers who worked extra days as substitutes and during intersession to make up for income lost when their schedule was cut in the changeover.

In addition, the district experienced a slight dip in attendance that may have been the result of parents going ahead with planned vacations, which cost the district $75,000 in state daily attendance funding.

``We changed calendars, they had vacations set. Some people didn't like not having July off, so they went ahead and took it anyway. We understood that,'' Superintendent Nancy Smith said. ``We had people tell us they had already put down deposits, and that Dad had already arranged a vacation.''

Smith said that the district's attendance rate decline last year, from 94.2 percent to 93.4 percent, was a temporary one and that attendance this year is back up to the average of more than 94 percent.

The cost of implementing the three-track system contributed to the district's budget shortfall this year when the board was forced to trim $1.9 million to balance the district's 2001-02 $147.8 million budget.

Steps taken included paring back the district's employment rolls by 39 positions, ranging from custodians to principals.

Smith said the district anticipated that the three-track change would come with some cost to the district.

``We expected that. We knew that was going to happen. The major problem was we had to house the kids. We didn't have a choice. We'd all love to go back to five-track. We just can't do it,'' Smith said. ``We're gaining 1,000 kids a year. We're lucky to keep up with it.''

Despite opposition from parents, the district board in a 3-2 vote in February 2000 approved shifting from a five-track to a three-track system, shortening the school year by 10 days and lengthening each school day by about 25 minutes.

At that time, the district said the change would enable the district to accommodate 20 percent more students in the same number of classrooms.

Relief from overcrowding by the passage of a $25 million school construction bond measure in last week's election was still in question as the district awaited a count of provisional ballots by the county.

The district hired 60 more teachers when it made the switch to three- track, resulting in $500,000 in additional benefits the district was responsible for, Smith said.

Teachers at Ana Verde, Buena Vista, Cactus, Cimmaron and Oaktree schools worked on the ``Orchard'' year-round schedule, which was different from the year-round calendar used at the district's other schools.

When the switch was made to three tracks, Orchard teachers lost 47 working days and 20 percent of their income. Other teachers lost 10 days but earned the same salary, Smith said.

Orchard teachers were offered the option of working extra days to help them make the transition.

``To soften the blow on Orchard teachers we offered them two years to make up for the days lost. To help people so that they don't lose 20 percent of income, they can work extra days,'' Smith said.

Of the several hundred Orchard teachers, 80 to 85 took advantage of the offer and worked extra days, Smith said.