Costa looks at new late start policy

Madeleine Coate
Sports Editor

A new sub-committee of the Costa Education Council discussed a possible late start policy for the 2014-15 Mira Costa school year at the Jan. 7 Education Council meeting.

After conducting an annual school survey in April of 2012, Costa staff members decided to develop the Collaboration Committee to create a new late start schedule that would give faculty members more time to collaborate on improving classes.

“A lot of what we are doing now is asking teachers to collaborate, and there is no time built into the schedule for them to do that,” Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter said. “It would give them time to do things to facilitate learning.”

According to Hofreiter, the proposed policy would change the current monthly one to two-hour late-start sessions into 21 one-hour sessions strategically placed throughout the year.

“As soon as everybody has their classes and everything is all straightened out, then there will be more sessions,” Hofreiter said. “Near the end of the year, it will taper off.”

Costa choir director Michael Hayden, Hofreiter and teachers from each department make up the Collaboration Committee.

“I think this new policy will be fabulous,” Hayden said. “It will be great to have the faculty members work together more and be more creative with new curriculums we want to create.”

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees has not yet scheduled a date for the committee to present the policy. According to Principal Dr. Ben Dale, all certified staff members must approve the new late start schedule before it can go into effect.

“It’s not my place to discuss this decision with the Manhattan Beach Teachers’ Union,” Dale said. “It’ll go to the board after the faculty votes, although the Union is aware that we are working on a change.”