The Lincoln Log

A familiar holiday to several Chinese San Francisco Unified School District students will be added to the school calendar as an official day off next year. In December, the Board of Education declared this holiday and was ordered by the Chair to the Budget and Business Services Committee last October.

At the meeting on Dec.12, the board estimated the cost to be $207,000 for the pay of all SFUSD staff, not including teachers since they get paid either way. Board member Eddie Chin said, “If it impedes or has a negative impact on programs, and then we have to have a second look at it.” Board member Mark Sanchez said that it maybe possible to negotiate with classified employees since it also has benefits for them as well.

Lunar New Year was passed again as an observed holiday by SFUSD because it usually was on a weekend, but since San Francisco has one of the largest Asian communities. The number of Asian students enrolled in SFUSD is more then 50 percent. Lunar New Year is one of the most widely observed holiday in the Asian community.

The School Board has observed Lunar New Year since 1994. This year Lunar New Year falls on Sunday, Feb.18, which is why schools were not given an additional day off. However, in 2008 every one will be given a day off because Lunar New Year falls on a Thursday.

Other reasons principle Pang thinks that Lunar New Year should be a holiday, is that many students are absent on the day before or after or on Lunar New Year.

The official Lunar New Year date for 2008 has yet to be announced, but the tentative date is set for Feb. 7.