Seven-Period Day Returning to Santa Barbara Junior Highs — in Two Years

Junior high students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District will be getting a seven-period day, the school board decided on Tuesday. But they’ll have to wait two more years. 

The extra period will be added to students’ schedules in the 2027-28 school year to increase electives opportunities. 

The district originally cut the seventh period from the junior highs 20 years ago. It hasn’t been an easy journey to bring it back. 

Boardmembers disagreed on implementation. Some supported piloting a seventh period at Santa Barbara Junior High and La Cumbre Junior High next fall, while others preferred waiting two years until full implementation at all four schools was possible. 

Some schools are under-resourced and would not be prepared for a fall turnaround, noted Boardmember Sunita Beall. 

Santa Barbara Junior High and La Cumbre are better equipped with more parental support and facility space, according to district staff. And fewer students at those schools rely on public transportation, compared to Goleta Valley Junior High and La Colina Junior High. 

“There is a lot that needs to change, and just doing it in a rushed way may have consequences,” Beall said. “So as much as I would like to just say, ‘Let’s do it and let’s do it as fast as we can,’ I do have to pay attention to resources.”

Electives benefit students’ life balance and mental health, she added. So, Beall, as well as boardmembers Gabe Escobedo and Rose Muñoz, initially supported the phased approach of starting with a couple of schools in the 2026-27 school year.

But York Shingle, president of the Santa Barbara Teachers Association, urged equal implementation at all four schools. Public commenters said it was a bad look to begin with implementation at only two schools. 

“The seven-period day is doable and will benefit our students,” Shingle said. “It’s going to be a challenge for SBTA if we have some junior high teachers working longer days than their junior high counterparts across town.”

Teachers and parents have advocated for a seven-period day for years. It’s an equity issue, they said, as students with disabilities and multilingual learners take support classes that limit room for electives during the school day.

Should they want an elective, they would have to take it before or after school, which is unfair to them and their parents, teachers said. Zero and seventh period offerings have depended on each school’s staffing, as well.

A study of parents’ approval — with more than 1,000 respondents — showed that 53 percent of parents supported adding a seventh period, 30 percent were opposed, and 16 percent were neutral.

Many parents want more electives, explained Sonia Wilson, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services. But they were also concerned about student burnout, increased homework, and transportation needs.  

Adding a seventh period across all schools will require the district to hire 13 additional teachers, purchase materials, and find space for new elective courses at Goleta Valley and La Colina, Wilson said. 

Boardmember Celeste Kafri wanted to “just rip off the bandaid” and expedite the process to implement the seventh period across all schools by next fall. Boardmember William Banning, however, said that they should take the time to “figure out how to do it” in 2027-28.

Student boardmember Carlos Taft-Vasquez worried about inequity among students and a lack of student input in the decision, so he abstained from his advisory vote. 

Ultimately, though, concerns about equity influenced the board toward a consensus. All four junior high school principals support full implementation in 2027-28, said Dan Dupont, principal of Santa Barbara Junior High.

“Personally, I do not want to solve one inequity by creating another,” Dupont said. “I feel like waiting until 27-28 to do this is the way that we all do it right, and I’m convinced we only have one chance to do this. I want to do it right.”

The board directed staff to set aside funds to go toward adding a seventh period in the 2027-28 school year. 

There are a number of next steps that still must happen before implementation is possible, including communicating with staff and families, working through transportation needs, and planning for staffing needs. The district will need to work with the Metropolitan Transportation District on revising bus routes.