Rocklin Unified School District’s Early/Late Reading program is on the chopping block once again.

Rocklin students have benefited from this program for over two decades. Now that class sizes are increasing – projected to be 30 to 1 next year in kindergarden through third-grade – we need this program more than ever.

First and foremost, it is a matter of quality education – not quantity or convenience.

E/L provides 80 minutes of built-in, uninterrupted small-group instruction on a daily basis. Since RUSD clusters Resource, GATE and English learner students, the E/L model ensures individual student needs will be met within larger, diverse classroom settings. This is especially true for combination classes.

Second, the only cost associated with E/L is crossing guard coverage, which is a small price to pay. Imagine a classroom with 30 6-year-olds, all reading at different levels, all equally deserving of their teacher’s time. The Early/Late program cuts this ratio in half.

With all that is being taken away from our students during this devastating educational crisis, why willingly give up a program that provides the foundation for school success?

Andrea Muller, Rocklin