Full-year use of buildings an option to ease crowding

ROYAL CITY - The Royal School District board of directors will have a second meeting to deal with crowding in the schools on April 4, and one of the topics of discussion will be year-around use of the buildings.

While that may sound like full-year school, no student would attend 12 months, and no teacher would work 12 months. School would still be a nine-month proposition for each individual.

The meeting will be held in the high school library, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The full-year option for easing crowding in the schools resulted from a suggestion by former 20-year school board member Norm Stakkeland. At the previous "crowding" meeting of the board, he suggested double-shifting.

According to Superintendent Rose Search, the administration followed up on the suggestion, calling to California and Nevada, where Stakkeland said double shifting was used.

Royal School District Business Manager Clinton Sherman said his calls did not find a district that is double shifting at this time. He said double shifting has been used but usually in emergency situations, such as a construction delay.

"I haven't seen it as a sustainable school schedule," Sherman said.

What Sherman did find that could work here is multi-track year-round school. It is used by large school districts around the country. 

Sherman  attended a Pasco School District discussion of this system on March 24. Pasco has serious overcrowding.

If such a system were instituted in the RSD, Sherman said, one option would have students and teachers divided into four tracks. Schools would be operated 12 months, but only three tracks would  be at school at the same time. One track would be on vacation.

The tracks would be rotated in and out of school so that all students get their 180 days and teachers work their nine months.

Sherman made it clear this option is not in the works. It is only one of the options that will be discussed on April 4. Stakkeland's suggestion may also be discussed.

"We are researching all of the available options," Sherman said.

Sherman added that all students will be served next fall. The only question is how much space will be available and how it will be used.

A new bond election will probably be discussed again, but administrators and board members are iffy on that. Stakkeland believes there is no chance that would happen. He said no one is in a mood for higher taxes.

"Times are tougher now," he said.

Stakkeland's double-shifting suggestion would not involve all of the students and perhaps not all of the schools.

"One idea would be to take specific classes that have large increases in numbers and double shift," he said. "In other words, start half of the students early, and the other half would start later, in the afternoon."

Stakkeland said limited double shifting would not require any more new teachers than adding classrooms would. He said it might cause some busing concerns, but afternoon students could load at the same time morning students are arriving at home.

Search said portable classrooms remain an option. She said Education Services District 105 in Yakima has a modular building that might do the job.

Stakkeland doesn't like the portables option. That would require more spending. He said the district needs to explore fully the best use of the existing buildings.