Sacramento City Unified to start next 2 school years early to avoid nearly $40M state fine

By Chris Hagan and Srishti Prabha | Special to the OBSERVER The Sacramento City Unified School District will avoid a nearly $40 million penalty for losing eight days of instruction during the 2022 teachers strike after the state Board of Education approved a waiver on Wednesday. As part of the agreement, the district will add eight days to each of the next two school years. That will move the start date for students up to Aug. 19 from Aug. 29 this summer. “We are pleased that the State Board of Education approved our District’s plan to invest in additional days of instruction that our students deserve,” Board of Education President Lavinia Phillips said in a statement. “We appreciate the collaboration with our labor partners and the thoughtful consideration of the State Board of Education that has resulted in this waiver.” SCUSD’s “learning recovery plan,” which was reached along with the Sacramento City Teachers Association, says the district and the teachers union have committed to use the money to hire additional staff at schools. The plan also resolves “several outstanding SCTA grievances and unfair labor practice charges,” according to the district.  The fine came down in 2022 after teachers and other...