It is virtually certain that schools within the Los Alamitos Unified School District will start on August 31, based on comments Dr. Andrew Pulver, Superintendent, made to the board this week.
Pulver said administrators sent a survey to both teachers and parents to gauge their interest in keeping the scheduled school year of Aug. 5 until May 27, or whether or not they would support a change to Aug. 31 – through June 11.
Pulver said state educational guidance, thus far, is not entirely clear, noting state officials are having to make decisions for a massive school population.
Though Los Al Unified is busy planning for a variety of scenarios, Pulver said the later start date would give administrators time to train and implement new protocols if they are asked to utilize online instruction.
The change will provide staff additional time to “thoughtfully plan” for the next school year, said Pulver.
With more than 5,000 survey responses, Pulver said he has never experienced such a massive response to a calendar survey.
He said both teachers and parents supported the Aug. 31 start date.
While 75 percent of teachers supported the change, approximately 64 percent of parents also supported the change. He said it was encouraging to have the support of parents and teachers on a potential calendar revision.
The board approved a recommendation from Pulver to adopt the revised school year of Aug. 31 through June 11, pending approval of the teacher’s organization for the change.
Once a Memorandum of Understanding is in place, Pulver said they can then notify staff, parents and the public.