Sac City Unified’s inconsistent learning schedules disrespect families, top official says

Sacramento County’s top education official said there is “absolutely a reason to be concerned” about the inconsistent online learning schedules being taught in the Sacramento City Unified School District and that families have been caught in the middle of an ongoing dispute between district officials and the teachers union.

District officials and the teachers union still do not have an agreement on a distance learning plan, meaning the amount of live instruction students are receiving can vary school by school or class by class.

“Not one of the other 12 districts (in Sacramento County) has had a problem with any of this,” Dave Gordon, Superintendent of Sacramento County Schools, told The Sacramento Bee. “They have to come operate as one system.”

In a letter to the state’s superintendent of schools, Tony Thurmond, Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar wrote that if students are receiving inconsistent live instruction from their teachers, the district “is not able to comply with the requirements of Senate Bill 98.”

The district believes that the Sacramento City Teachers Association’s plan conflicts with SB 98.

That law requires daily live interaction between teachers and students. If daily live interaction is not feasible, “the governing board or body of the local educational agency shall develop, with parent and stakeholder input, an alternative plan for frequent live interaction that provides a comparable level of service and school connectedness,” according to the bill’s language.

The teachers union says the education code standards are being met, and teachers are exercising their best judgment to meet those standards in an unprecedented environment as the coronavirus pandemic continues to shut down school campuses.

Both the district and teachers union distance learning plans meet the legal requirement to provide a minimum number of minutes for each grade level. They disagree on how to split those minutes between live instruction and screen time, and independent work.

Under the plans, students should be receiving between 180 and 240 instructional minutes a day. The district wants less independent work that may place too much burden on busy parents. The teachers union wants less screen time where students — particularly young ones — are in front of computers for hours.

“This is a time when more than ever, we need to cooperate and collaborate,” Gordon said, adding that he has been stressing collaboration for years between the district and its labor partners. “In a healthy culture, people work out those issues.”

Gordon said having two differing instructional models is unhelpful and disruptive.

“Families in Sac City are dealing with the management — with the district saying one thing, and teachers are saying something else,” he said. “It’s really disrespectful to the parents and the families and students. They should not have to be dealing with this. The system should be respectful to an already difficult time and not compound that with a lack of clarity in how they are supposed to help their young people.”

The district surveyed parents and found that about 70 percent preferred live instruction to independent work.

How much live instruction a student receives depends on the teacher.

Shana Just, a teacher at Luther Burbank High School, told The Bee that teachers need flexibility to teach and then release students to conduct independent work.

The teachers union says their plan is best for students – including the most vulnerable – because while students still receive live instruction, it doesn’t place students in front of computer screens for hours.

Elsewhere in the Sacramento region, school districts’ schedules differ. Here’s what we found.

Different districts, different synchronous requirements

In San Juan Unified, students are required to have less live instruction than Sacramento City Unified.

San Juan Unified students in grades first through third must receive a minimum of 55 minutes of daily synchronous instruction. Students in Sacramento City Unified must receive a minimum of 185 minutes. The SCTA’s plan calls for 110 minutes of live instruction.

San Juan students in grades sixth through eighth must receive a minimum of 65 minutes of daily synchronous instruction, while students in Sacramento City Unified must receive a minimum of 190 minutes. SCTA’s plan calls for 120 minutes of live instruction.

In all San Juan plans, the total number of instructional minutes equal 230 minutes and 240 minutes respectively, in accordance to the requirements.

In Twin Rivers Unified, synchronous class time nearly mirrors Sacramento City Unified’s plan. Students from grades TK through 12 are taught online for 180 minutes a day. The total daily instructional time reaches about 350 minutes each day for Twin Rivers students, meaning they have much more independent work than Sacramento City Unified students.

Elk Grove students in grades one through six receive a minimum of about 165 minutes of synchronous instruction.

Folsom Cordova Unified readjusted its schedule after classes resumed in the fall, and removed instructional minutes on Mondays.

“Since school began, instructional minutes have been met through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous minutes,” Folsom Cordova Unified officials said. “That remains a constant throughout the week. Our change to the Monday schedules allows our teachers Common Planning Time for training and lesson development, as well as the flexibility for direct outreach to students who might be at risk of falling behind.”