As a student, I write to address the flawed decision process for retaining or cutting teachers, and to propose a new modified school week to save funds to keep more of the programs and faculty that make SYHS one of California’s top high schools.

I don’t want to complain about our situation, but rather to plead for deliberate and conscious action along the best course for the students.

English teacher, Mock Trial coach and recent Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year Ms. Diane Siegal received a pink slip which stated that her “services will no longer be needed for the 2009-2010 school year.” It was a slap in the face to an exceptional teacher who earned the prestigious award of Santa Barbara County teacher of the year just a few months ago.

As a student in her English class and as a member of the Mock Trial team, I saw firsthand how she would carve out hours in the week, no matter how busy, to give back to her students. She often rose at four in the morning to grade essays, made the time for the three-hour Mock Trial practices two to three times a week, and hosted the team at her house for four-hour breakfast meetings four times throughout the season. The dedication teachers like Ms. Siegal show should not be rewarded with pink slips.

 

Meanwhile, a current teacher at the same high school campus not once stood up to teach a lesson, but rather played movies solely for entertainment and assigned menial worksheets, instead. This teacher not only did not receive a pink slip, but was actually paid a higher salary merely because this teacher has worked at the school for a longer period.

This is a fundamental and severe problem with education. We evaluate and reward our teachers based on years of service, not performance. In nearly every other work place rewards are bestowed on those who work the hardest with the best results, not just those who have worked the longest.

By laying off top-performing teachers and continuing to employ those who have seniority, education has lost sight of its top priority — students. If we continue to fill our schools with teachers who have taught the longest rather than teachers who have taught and performed the best, we continue to deprive our students of the quality education they deserve.

As a student, I ask you to at least examine a teacher’s merit, performance and devotion before you decide to cut his or her position.

 

Nevertheless, the reality is we cannot afford to keep every position and every program on the current budget. There is, however, a less examined solution to keep the budget balanced and the teachers in place. Nine states and 108 school districts currently operate on a four-day school week model. The proposal was first enacted close to 30 years ago after the Iranian Revolution and the 1970s energy and oil crisis. It was a fast and practical solution to decrease expenses while keeping the education engine running at optimal performance.

The suggestion is simple. Increase each school day by two hours to forgo one school day a week. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCLS), most school districts operating on this four-day model reported savings of at least 20 percent a week on transportation costs, air conditioning and heating, lunch entrées and classified positions such as student and teacher aides and cafeteria staff and bus drivers, just to name a few.

A study conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Lab also reported an increase in student and teacher attendance, as well as an increase in concentration due to fewer transitions and longer periods of uninterrupted class time.

 

The study also found that dropout rates as well as disciplinary referral occurrences decreased. In addition, the study found that students had increased attendance in extra-curricular activities, such as sports, due to the free day every week.

Campus faculty and staff also had much more time for quality staff development on the free day.

Lastly, the study found that the four-day school week had no negative effect on student performance, which remained at the same level it had during the five-day school week. Of course many may find inconveniences and downsides to the four-day schedule, but they are far eclipsed by the potential benefits and savings this new schedule would provide.

With only a pen and a passion, I call on you to amend these flaws within the education system, enact new, practical proposals to fix the existing budget without sacrificing quality education, and to keep every focus and effort on education’s top priority, the students.

 Ty Krystkowiak is 14 and will be a sophomore at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in the fall.