Disadvantages Of Year Round School

Out of the thousands of public schools in the United States, only a small percentage of them operate year-round. Year-round schools operate on a year-round schedule, which reorganizes the summer vacation of traditional schools and scatters many breaks throughout the year. There are two main types of year-round schedules: single track and multitrack. Single track is the type that simply reorganizes the traditional summer break. Single track is the most common of the two and consist of 90% of schools that have gone year-round. (Dessoff, 2011, p.36) Multitrack divides students into groups so that one group is on vacation while the other is in school. (Dessoff, 2011, p.36) The idea of changing school schedules was introduced in national policy

Year-round schedules can be costlier to the school and district. Year-round schools can help save money if it is an overcrowding solution, however, many schools don’t have the air conditioning equipment necessary to cool them off during the scorching summer months. (Will, 2014, p. 6) The costs of installing and maintaining extra air condition units can be expensive. Schools who are year-round also have increased costs such as utilities, maintenance, renovations, and teacher salaries. (O’Sullivan, 2013, p. 411-412) These things added together is more than many schools and districts can afford. They can also be inconvenient for families, teachers, and students. A huge disadvantage is that parents may find it difficult to plan family vacations and activities with different work and school schedules. Lynch states “This concern is not to be dismissed, as it is important to children’s development to spend quality time with their families.” (Lynch, 2012, para. 2) Teachers are also susceptible to family inconveniences. Teachers who work year-round may struggle to spend time with their kids if they go to a school on the traditional schedule. (Lynch, 2012, para. 5) They may also find it frustrating if they want to advance their education by getting a masters or Ph.D. Parents and teachers are not the only ones who suffer from the inconveniences, but students do as well. Many high school students want to take college classes or work over the summer but are restricted by their schooling. (Will, 2014, p. 6) Going to school year-round can also take away from a student’s time to experience anything outside class such as road trips or sporting events. Business who rely on summer vacations could be negatively impacted. Many industries such as vacationing spots and amusement parks oppose the idea of year-round schools. Without summers, these businesses would not be able to function.