Topline:
Friday is LAUSD’s long-observed, long-reviled tradition, “Norm Day.” And it might have consequences for your child’s classroom as teachers get moved around.
Remind me how it works: School districts need to have enough teachers for their students. But districts don’t always know how many students they’re going to have at each school. So they make estimates ahead of the school year, and use those numbers to assign teachers. When they get actual enrollment data, they shuffle teachers around accordingly. LAUSD typically recalibrates its enrollment across all of its campuses after the fifth Friday of the school year — Norm Day.
Norm Day frustrates parents every year: Norm Day can leave students feeling discombobulated after the departure of a beloved teacher.
“I have been told that my school is on the verge of losing two teachers because we are under-enrolled by two students,” said parent Alex Brown at Tuesday's school board meeting. And Topanga parent Tijana Srdanov wrote here about how a "hidden gem" of a remote school could lose two teachers this year.
What the superintendent says: “I want to be clear about one thing: Norm Day is a necessity,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. He added that in some cases the district may provide additional funding to retain educators.
We have the history: Here's why LAUSD's 'Norm Day' scrambles educators, disrupts classes, frustrates parents
