By Hannah Parker
Online News Editor
Mira Costa’s Education Council voted to continue the Office Hours schedule for the 2016-17 school year at its April 20 meeting.
Ed Council members approved when the Wednesday Office Hours schedule in June of last year, they agreed to implement it for a year then reevaluate the following year. In the March 29 Ed Council meeting, council members discussed the options of keeping to the status quo of having double Office Hours on selected weeks, changing to single office hours weekly, or changing to alternating single and double office hours per week depending on the schedule of the week.
“[This meeting] was a productive meeting, and every department had a voice and were able to express what they believed was best for kids. Together, we decided that we are going to recommend keeping the current office hours program in place.”
The single office hours option would occur every week, unlike the status quo which meets on 23 selected Wedesdays of the year. According to Dale, although single office hours would be more consistent, the status quo is more helpful for students and staff because they have more time. The alternating schedule would be able to accommodate to interruptions during the week, however it is too complex, Dale said.
“During conversations we had guiding principles that we used to govern our conversation such as wanting students to have ample time to complete homework, guaranteeing that kids have access to their teacher and providing teachers time to collaborate,” Dale said.
After all Ed Council members evaluated the three options, each member was satisfied with the decision, Dale said. Dale stated that most departments preferred maintaining the status quo because although it is not as consistent as having a single office hour every week, it assures that teachers will have the two Office Hours to both collaborate and provide students with enough time to talk to multiple teachers.
“The English department was nearly unanimous in wanting to preserve the schedule,” co-chair of the English Department Jonathan Westerberg said. “We felt that the merits of the new schedule include the time it gives teachers and departments to collaborate and the access to teachers it gives the students. We are a large department and constantly reviewing out curriculum and best practices. The collab time is making us better at what we do.”
The final step in the process of finalizing the 2016-17 office hours schedule will be holding a vote for the entirety of the staff. Following this vote will be the ratification of the decision by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees. These dates have been yet to be decided but will occur within the end of the 2015-16 school year.
“Ed council have been working really hard for kids in the last few months with the selection of the 2016-17 schedule to the adoption of new courses,” Dale said. “This is all great work and I’m so proud. Ed Council is addressing curriculum and the social and mental health of kids which is something that should be commended.”
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